Bruce Campbell is a man who lives on a plane in the middle of the forest (19 photos + 2 videos)
17 November 2023
74-year-old American Bruce Campbell has been living in Hillsboro Forest (Oregon) for 20 years. His home is an old Boeing 727, a 100 square meter passenger jet airliner. 
On a Sunday afternoon in Hillsboro, you might find at least a dozen visitors visiting Bruce. They carefully remove their muddy shoes and walk inside through what was once an emergency exit. The owner of the house happily welcomes guests and gives a tour of the old Boeing, which he has called home for more than 20 years.
The Airplane House attracts curious explorers from all over the world, and Campbell, a retired electrical engineer and airplane enthusiast, enjoys showing off his personal plane to everyone. Campbell's ultimate goal is to inspire others to create their own dream homes on jetliners.
How did he do it?
Campbell has told his story so many times that he is usually not willing to repeat it in full to his guests unless there is a large enough group of visitors. But on the Internet you can find a lot of information about him - both about the path he has already taken and about what he plans to do next.
In 1999, Campbell paid $100,000 for his plane. And another $96,000 for its transportation and rental of a transshipment facility for temporary housing. The plane had to be moved from Greece, where it was retired, to Hillsborough Airport, located about 40 minutes from Portland. There, the wings and tail were temporarily removed so the plane could travel through the streets of Hillsboro to Campbell's 10-acre wooded property. The man purchased this plot back in the mid-70s for about $26,000.
Campbell equipped the plane with a shower, temporary sink, large futon mattress, portable washing machine and refrigerator. In total, it cost him about $220,000, but Campbell believes it could be done for much less. Today he spends less than $400 a month on property taxes and energy.
“You can do it too, if you avoid the mistakes I made,” he tells his guests.
During the summer, Campbell makes his space available for concerts and other events, and also hosts vacationers for free. He has a bunch of notice boards filled with notes and kind words from past visitors. The inside of a jet is just as cold or hot as the outside, so Campbell advises guests to dress accordingly.
An airplane house is not only housing and a local landmark, but also a piece of history.
The plane belonged to Aristotle Onassis, a Greek business magnate and second husband of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In 1975, the plane was used to transport Aristotle's body and coffin to his funeral, on what Campbell called "his last flight." Some of the plane's original seats still remain, Campbell said.
Bruce Campbell was not the first who wanted to live on an airplane and arranged comfortable accommodation for himself there. He was inspired by Jo Ann Ussery, who bought a Boeing 727 in 1994 and turned it into a lakefront home in Benoit, Mississippi.
Ussery spent six months reconstructing the interior of the aircraft and ended up with more than 140 sq. m of area, including three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a hot tub. In total, she spent about $30,000.
Ussery lived on the plane for four years until she decided to move it to the exhibition, butthe plane fell from a truck that was transporting it to a new location. It was damaged beyond recognition.
“Jet airliners are masterpieces of aerospace science, and their supreme engineering elegance is unmatched by any other structure in which humans can live,” writes Bruce Campbell on his website. “They are incredibly strong and durable. They can easily withstand any earthquake or hurricane.”
According to Campbell, approximately two to three commercial aircraft are taken out of service every day, so the “plane graveyards” are certainly not empty. But there is one problem: they are difficult to move overland. Campbell suggests buying the entire plane—minus the engine—and not hiring a company to help transport it, as he did.
What are your plans now? Well, Bruce Campbell doesn't stop there: he hopes to build another airplane house in Japan, near the city of Miyazaki. This is his new project, to which he devotes about half of his time.
“There are a lot of obstacles, but I hope I can succeed,” he says. “After all, these great ships, shining symbols of human achievement, deserve a very long and noble second life.”
