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Grounded planes become home sweet homes
By Renee Johnson
Contributing Writer
There’s nothing veteran airline pilot Tom Bennington dislikes more than having to tear apart an airplane. That’s why he’s transforming Boeing 727s into something practical: homes. That’s right—homes. The places where people live.
Bennington’s most recent “airplane home” is for sale auction-style on eBay, offered through power seller Don Peters, owner of iWillSellYourStuff.com and a 1984 Citadel graduate.
“I wasn’t sure if this was real,” Peters told real estate information services Inman News when he first heard of Bennington’s invention, but he’s been selling the homes on eBay for about the past year. “I’ve sold three so far, and the first one should be erected this spring or summer,” he said.
Each airplane home costs about $285,000. Bennington’s company, Max Power Aerospace, buys the plane and ships it to its final destination with the engines, landing gear and flight controls removed. The planes arrive empty and the new owners hire an architect to design the interior to meet their needs. The company modifies the airplane’s wings so they no longer provide lift—although they do provide about 108 feet of usable surface area for a deck.
The 727 home will sit on a large bearing planted into the ground, which will enable it to remain stationary or rotate like a weathervane at the homeowner’s command. Because the secured plane can be situated up to 20 feet above the ground, it’s an ideal dwelling for a building site designated below the 100-year flood plane, Peters says. They’re also hurricane proof.
The empty airplane is about 12 feet wide and, in total, has about 1,200 square feet of living space—enough room for two bedrooms, two baths and a lounge in the former cockpit. For homeowners who want to enjoy the view, the airplane comes with 106 windows.
The three planes sold so far will be sent to Connecticut, Tennessee and a small island off the coast of Florida. However, Bennington said the plans to station an airplane in Tennessee may fall through. If that happens, he plans to ship the plane to the same small island near Florida and live there himself.
“I really like the airplanes. I’ve been in the airplane business all my life,” he says.
The airplane homes are the reason he launched Smyrna, Tenn.-based Max Power Aerospace, which also buys and sells aircraft engines and other parts, dismantles commercial aircraft and offers aviation consulting services.
Bennington believes airplanes are the best-made structures around. In fact, he’s broken the jaws of an industrial excavator while attempting to crush them. “When you break them down, they’re worth a lot of money,” he reports. That’s why, despite his strong feelings about not tearing planes apart, his company breaks down planes and sells parts in order to survive financially until he starts to sell more of the airplane homes.
Who’s buying the airplane homes and how will they be used? A real estate investor bought one and plans to use it for rental property, according to Peters. A business owner bought one to use as an office, and a professional tennis player bought one to use as a home.
Is there a local market for airplane homes?
“Absolutely not,” says James Verkaik of local architectural firm James Verkaik Architect LLC. “Not only would it never get past any architectural review board, but it would look absolutely bizarre around here.”
On the other hand, concedes Verkaik, it might make an interesting novelty restaurant or a retreat for a retired pilot or aerospace executive. But there’s always the future to take into consideration. “What’s your exit strategy?” Verkaik asks. “Who on earth would you sell it to when you decide to move?”
SIDEBAR:
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…a Boeing 727-200 aircraft with aft air stair access and basic interior package
What do you get for your $285,000 airplane home from Max Power Aerospace?
A site team consisting of an architect and/or general contractor to survey, inspect and permit your site for installation. The plane will be mounted on a column that keeps it stationary or allows it to be rotated to take advantage of the view and those cooling breezes.
To make the outside look finished, the plane’s cockpit windows are replaced with Lexan, and the landing gear doors are placed in the up and closed position to give a streamlined appearance. Homeowners whose airplanes are erected at four feet above the ground use the air stair doors to enter, while homes erected at elevations of five to 20 feet get wing stairs for an entrance.
The basic interior package includes centralized heat and air and ceiling panels with fluorescent lights. A $5,000 budget is allowed for a basic kitchen and a $3,000 budget for flooring, with carpet or wood flooring recommended. You also get one fully functional bathroom using conventional home fixtures and a $3,000 budget for painting the outside of the fuselage to your personal requirements.
Options are available too, according to the company, including the installation of a functioning cockpit based on the Microsoft Flight Simulator. Price tag? $11,000.
Potential buyers take note: A $2,000 rebate is available for owners who advertise the company’s logo on the airplane home’s tail, and financing is available if you qualify.
For more information visit www.airplanehomes.com or www.maxpoweraero.com.
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