The front of an abandoned Boeing 737 jet has been transformed into a quirky, aviation-themed Airbnb holiday rental.
Entrepreneur Steven Northam paid $6,165 (£5,000) for the front fuselage of the 1968 Boeing 737-200, on eBay and spent the following three months converting the plane.
Northam had to move the 29ft-long, five-ton front from Chichester College, West Sussex in the United Kingdom, where the fuselage had been used to train airline crew.
According to the business guru the plane had been left sitting outside in all weathers for 15 years so required plenty of work to get it looking good again.
From July to September 2022 Northam worked throughout the day which involved painting, ripping out fixtures and fittings he didn’t want and recarpeting the entire space.
Northam’s work was even documented on a popular UK television show on Channel 4 called ‘George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces’ which follows the processes of unique property conversions.
The plane was originally scrapped in 2006 after it was used by French, American, and Mauritanian airlines since its first take-off in 1968.
Due to its history Northam was keen to keep many of the plane’s unique features and embraced the original design.
“I didn’t want to strip it all out and convert it into a high-end caravan,” he told the Business Insider.
After spending $18,480 (£15,000) on converting the jet Northam has kept the plane’s original seats with seatbelts, overhead bin lockers and the original rest room.
The jet, named ‘Marwell High Club’ after the nearby Marwell Zoo, comes with cooking facilities, high-speed WiFi, Smart TVs, XBoxes and a heat pump to control temperatures in the summer and winter.
The front fuselage has two levels, with a cozy double bed positioned in the lower cargo hold which can be seen from the upper floor through a perspex window built into the floor.
There are also two single beds which make it an ideal getaway for the family.
For the aviation enthusiasts Northam had installed a flight simulator with a large, curved monitor at the front where the cockpit is normally located.
Northam has even built a hot tub outside the plane that he made from the inlet cowling of a plane engine.
“People just seem to be fascinated by planes, want to come and play in the simulator, and stay in a plane,” Northam said.
Once Northam has planning permission, he plans to advertise the holiday rental on Airbnb where he will likely charge $185.70 (£150) a night.