Electrical Engineer Turns Boeing 727 Airliner to His Dream Home

Even though Bruce Campbell is a retired 64 years old, electrical engineer, he still uses his creative and energetic mind for his most imaginative pursuits. And thus, even an ordinary home is not enough for such a unique individual. 

About two decades ago, Bruce discovered an inspirational story about Joanne Ussery, a Mississippi native hairdresser who purchased and transformed a Boeing 727 into an attractive home. Before this, she lived in a regular house that was totally destroyed. 

From a young child, Campbell utilized his zeal to transform scrapped objects and various resources to create novel creations. And with the use of freight vans, he was able to create the most adventurous kind of home, especially upon the discovery and inspiration of another person’s home. 

With the innovation, ingenuity, and determination of someone like Campbell, he kept his tenacity to conquer various costs and hurdles to make his dream become a reality. 

As the saying goes: “Anything worth having is worth fighting for”, and this was certainly the case for Campbell. He had to pay another $120,000 for transporting the plane to its destination and for other details. And with the money already spent in buying his forest, his total was $243,000.

Of course, even with his earnest determination, Bruce was primarily met with an obstacle: The purchasing and relocating of the plane from its original area to his Oregon property. 

Bruce’s broad determination did not waver upon realizing how much effort was required to transform his Boeing into his prize possession of a home.

So, he got a crew to remove the plane’s wings. From there, the team was able to beautifully position that plane among the trees. Then, they installed the wings accordingly for a perfect fit.

By having the total ownership of the surface area where his aircraft is, Bruce made sure that there would be no qualms with law officials. The involved officials were unsurprisingly filled with amazement about his innovation and uniqueness. 

Besides his goal to transform the airplane into a standardized and luxurious lodging, Campbell initially considered the plane as a comfortable operation with no fixed outcome. 

This total project included a range from residing in a neighboring freight van to upcycling that took several years to complete. The move alone was challenging, but his strong determination to complete the mission remains intact.

Shortly after Campbell’s move, he faced a colony of mice in his freight van home. So, it+ forced him to stay in the Boeing even though it was yet to be transformed. 

Bruce spoke of his goals with The Mirror, where he described how “transforming a beautiful and scintillating jetliner is wasteful and an extensive failure of human imagination.” 

Bruce stated in his Business Insider interview that he was first ambiguous about how he was going to remodel inside his aircraft. His creative juices in the remodeling within his plane home instantly began when he started dwelling there. 

Before he eventually revealed his revolutionary airplane abode, Bruce used a high-pressure water spray to wash the plane’s exterior. According to the “Daily Mail” report, Bruce said that cleaning the aircraft seems easy, but cleaning the shell takes about four days. 

Even though Bruce is overjoyed with the accomplishments of his prized possession, he has also been worried about some risks. Bruce cleans his Boeing 727’s exterior once every two years as required, but it is a hazardous task. 

As Bruce discussed his endeavors with The Daily Mail, he compared ordinary homes to airplanes. He stated that an airplane home is more like a novel Tesla, but ordinary homes are like classic cars. 

However, his fantasy of a castle did not magically emerge. The reason being is that according to Bruce the airplane is supported by concrete pillars. Also, the positioning within the is evident. 

With Campbell’s novel ideas of preservation and recycling, he wants to utilize most of the gear in the plane, and thus, he is dedicated to leaving most of the technology and equipment in the cockpit until he discovers what to do or make some creative inventions. 

Bruce stated that he simultaneously used an indefinite amount of development and resided in his all-purpose, livable plane. He built his own shower, and he has been focusing on constructing many built-in qualities of the airplane. 

Individuals planning on touring Bruce’s abode can only go into the plane through its built-in stairway. You will do this as you would on a Boeing 727 back in the day when it was in operation. 

Bruce has been taking great strides in transitioning every small feature. From hooking up and building a shower and sink to using a feature on the plane for a shoe rack, the sky is the limit with his innovative mind. 

Once Campbell quickly realized how unclean the glass can get, he immediately became very protective of the unique home that he created. In addition to his thorough cleaning, he ensures the plane remains spotless by not letting anyone walk through his home with regular shoes.

Besides the hassle that comes with ensuring that his precious Plexiglass flooring is clean and respected, Campbell is enjoying his airplane castle to the fullest. 

His re-purposed jetliner is fully spacious, but Bruce always maintains his humble way of life. This former electrical engineer sleeps on a futon, he eats mostly cereal and canned food, and his toaster and microwave are his primary cooking appliances. 

In the lower-left corner, Campbell is reclining on his futon and putting his wonderful brain to work. Curious minds could only imagine what he is doing right here. 

The material of the airplane home is very sturdy. Even the plane’s built-in toilets and its functions are very sturdy. Having said this, this is one home that is built to last. 

To make his plane home more livable and properly equip for proper hygiene, Bruce did the following: He linked an aged meter base to the original power cable. He then connected a circuit breaker cabinet onto the plane. 

Bruce continues to enjoy the full range of his plane home’s existing instruments of this magical airplane and its cockpit. However, he has turned the whole spot into an entertainment zone, within which he can enjoy reading. 

Bruce told Business Insider in an interview that he thinks of his plane home as one big toy with fancy hatches and trick doors that are almost like a movie set of Star Trek. 

Inside Campbell’s marvel is where he spends most of his days. This area serves as his lab to create many mastermind projects for his home. He completes his assignments in this personalized workstation on his computer. 

Obviously, an engineer would love to live in an intimate proximity, consisting of his passion projects. With such proximity of a workspace, one can obtain more passion and much better insight into the inner workings and how to improve them. 

Even though Bruce is totally committed to his Boeing home, he only stays in it for approximately half a year. The other half of the year is spent in Japan.

Looking at this picture should give you a clue. So, if you guessed that he is working on more planes for homes, you are correct! Japan is the lucky choice for his next airplane home which will be a bigger Boeing 747 plane.

Bruce is a real advocate for the environment, and thus, he believes that human ingenuity must be put towards aiding the environment. His former career as an electrical engineer has powered his innovation, and upcycling aircraft is inspiring for Bruce. 

The Daily Mail curiously asked Bruce how he feels about many onlookers he gets daily. He stated that he fosters frequent visitations. He is, in fact, happy to share his wonders and marvels that are crammed in his airplane. 

Bruce is part of a small group of talented individuals across the globe in which he is proud of.  These members are located in the Netherlands, Texas, and Costa Rica. These like-minded geniuses have also re-purposed discarded planes into fully functional abodes. 

Bruce does not only take full advantage of his abode in the daytime. He also lives it up at night. He can easily deal with blackouts. He can also choose to indulge in reading a book, study something, or work throughout the night whenever he wants. 

Bruce encountered several motivations for him to select the woods in Hillsboro, Oregon to build his airplane home. The first one occurred at his graduation in the 1970s. Around that time, he found a job in the county. 

Bruce encountered several motivations for him to select the woods in Hillsboro, Oregon to build his airplane home. The first one occurred at his graduation in the 1970s. Around that time, he found a job in the county.

According to Bruce when he talked to The Daily Mail, he never desired to buy a home until he was much older. He believed that he would be economically restrained if he applied for a mortgage. 

Even though he enjoys hosting normal, booked tours, there have been times when uninvited guests have come. Times like this are, at least, awkward. One time, an intrepid explorer walked into his abode while Bruce was taking a shower.  

Bruce said that formally arranged visitations are 75% of visitors, and 25% of visitors are bold intruders. Nevertheless, he informed The Daily Mail that he really does not mind any of the unwarranted visitation. 

Bruce also lends his aircraft home to various open and exclusive events throughout the year. He recently held an incredible concert from June 30th to July 3rd, 2018. A singer from Japan, named Pomily, and other wonderful entertainers performed.

Those who missed this event had another chance to go to the next event. This event occurred from September 7th through September 9th, 2018. Bruce announced this event on his site as well. The party reportedly was much more exhilarating and larger.

Being a lifelong bachelor, Bruce told The Daily Mail that he will not marry and have kids. And at the age of 68, he said that it is too late anyway. He never wanted a wife or kids. 

As previously mentioned, Bruce spends half of his year in his Boeing 727 in the Oregon forests, and the other half is spent in his Japanese and buying properties.  In doing this, he is facilitating his second airplane home’s construction for the larger Boeing 747-400.

The amazing inventor invests his time into his next bigger airplane home, starting from the beginning of 2018 and onwards within the Japanese island of Kyushu. 

Campbell’s airplane was made from Boeing 727-200, and that company maintained it from the 1960s to 1984. This model was designed for proximal and moderately lengthy trips due to its ability to land inside smaller airports that have sharper runways.

Bruce’s Boeing 727 served in the past for mundane and solemn usage. It, of course, took passengers around the world, but it was also an aerial hearse. It took a public figure’s body, named Aristotle Onassis, to Greece in 1975.