You may have heard of the Jumbo Stay Hotel in Stockholm, where guests can stay in a decommissioned Boeing 747. But you don’t have to travel to Sweden to rent a room in a retired aircraft.
Today we look at the amazing case of a former DC-6 cargo plane that was recently converted into an Airbnb.
Background story
Jon Kotwicki is a flight instructor who moved from Florida to Alaska, the last frontier. Shortly after this monumental move, Kotwicki decided to take on a monumental task for the benefit of his students.
He decided to buy an old Douglas DC-6 and convert it into an Airbnb and residential school. Kotwicki’s students would have the ultimate flight experience: They would learn how to fly airplanes while sitting in and living in a retired aircraft.
Jon told Business Insider“I wanted a real runway and cabins for them to live in, but I didn’t want to stop there. I started thinking, what if my students could live in an airplane instead of in cabins? I knew that would be much cooler.”
He began searching for an aircraft to convert in 2022, which was easier said than done. It is difficult to purchase retired aircraft as many are scrapped or stored. After six months, Jon finally acquired a 1956 Douglas DC-6 that most recently hauled cargo for Everts Air Cargo in Alaska.
The conversion
Converting a retired aircraft into a fully-fledged, livable Airbnb or flight school is no easy task. Jon traveled with help to Fairbanks, Alaska, where the DC-6 was located, and began dismantling it.
It took the trio four days of 16-hour shifts to remove all the bolts and cut the wings so they could be transported more easily. They used cranes and forklifts to lift the heavier parts and load them onto trailers.
Everything was driven 350 miles to Jon’s property in Wasilla, Alaska. After everything arrived without a hitch, the next task was to put it all together.
From purchasing to transporting the plane, Jon spent just over $100,000. To make the plane habitable, it had to be insulated to protect the occupants, especially from the cold Alaskan weather. The process of insulating the fuselage and ensuring good air circulation took about five months.
Jon says the whole process involved a lot of trial and error, which is understandable since it’s not every day you convert a retired aircraft into a living space.
An oil boiler has been installed in the tail section to provide heat during the colder months. The aircraft is also connected to its own water source and sewage disposal. Kotwicki also noted that the aircraft has a pressure tank that allows guests to take normal showers.
The final result
Although it was a long and arduous process, the plane has turned out better than anyone could have imagined. It has an area of about 60 square meters and features a living area, a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a grill on the wing. In total, the plane has sleeping space for six people.
Jon has retained the DC-6’s original cockpit, which also serves as a coffee station. The plane’s emergency exit doors are still in place and one of the propellers is on display in the living room. Students who live in the DC-6 receive this accommodation in their training packages. Jon says students come to him from all over the country. Understandably, they are always overwhelmed when they first arrive at this unique living accommodation.
Although the DC-6 was originally converted for students, Jon also rents it out on Airbnb for $200-700 per night, depending on the season.
He plans to further expand the site by adding a hot tub in one of the wings, but that project will begin sometime next spring.
But this is not the end of Jon’s work converting old aircraft. He and his partner Stephanie have bought an old Boeing 727 and are currently working on converting it as well.
