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stepwilk
15th May 2012, 16:50
For a magazine article I'm doing, I'm trying to put together a list of various airplanes that have found second lives as cocktail lounges, billboards, mini-hotels, whorehouses, private homes, whatever. Something more than simple gate guardians or abandoned hulks sitting in somebody's pasture, I'm looking for airplanes that have, basically, been desecrated to some commercial end.

Anywhere in the world is fair game.

Hipper
15th May 2012, 19:42
There was this Hawker Hunter in the 1990s. I don't know if it's still there:

http://www.thunder-and-
lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivor.php?id=16

I remember seeing it whilst driving along the A40.

(for some reason this page won't accept thunder-and lightnings.co.uk)

Hipper
15th May 2012, 19:52
Here's a better picture:

Photo United Kingdom - Air Force Hawker Hunter F.1 WT555 (http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=271744)

Liobian
15th May 2012, 20:05
Suggest you go to Airliners.net; search for B747 hostel, and work down; there are a lot of a/c treated thus - DC6/7s and Connies come to mind. I've eaten well in the DC6 at Coventry. Good hunting

gruntie
16th May 2012, 05:41
There is - or was a decade ago - a Boeing 707 converted into a restaurant at Cairo airport.

tail wheel
16th May 2012, 06:31
The Club 707 Restaurant in Manila, reputedly ex Pan Am, then the Marcos family's personal hack. (707-321 N728PA??)

N99WT (cn 17606/107) Del 03/60 to Pan Am as N728PA. Flightdeck of the "Club 707" restaurant 707 beside Manila Airport. It has a luxury bizjet interior, non-fan JT4 engines covered with red Pan Am engine caps and a ventral strake. It was operated by the Marcos family in the late 1970's, before becoming this restaurant in the early 1980's. The waiters say it belonged to "Elvis," but we all know that isn't so!

Here's is a few more aircraft eateries (http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/abandoned-boeing-747-restaurant.html).

Ex Qantas VH-EBP. Boeing 707-338C. c/n 18810-438:
Observed as being used as a restaurant called 'The Plane' at Cairo Airport - December 4, 1994
Observed as being used as a restaurant called 'The Plane' at Cairo Airport - November 25, 1998
Restaurant owned by Kamal El Gohari
Reported to have been finally cut for scrap and carted away on trucks - December 2003

There is a small twin executive jet - a Mitsubishi??? - maybe in the 6 to 8 seat bracket, as an advert on a pole at a car wreckers on Ipswich Road, Brisbane, Australia.

India Four Two
16th May 2012, 06:44
RNZAF Bristol Freighter motel
Woodlyn Park, Billy Black Unique Rail Car Accommodation / Motel, Waitomo Caves, New Zealand (http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/planemotel.html)

izod tester
16th May 2012, 07:10
When I was at AFSOUTH, I lived in Parco Azzurro near Arco Felice. The Parco was originally developed by a co-operative of Italian Air Force officers and had a Canadair CL13 Sabre above the parco gates.

The link below provides a listing of retired aircraft in Italy by region. Several are used by restaurants or other commercial facilites.

Velivoli sopravvissuti (http://www.alatricolore.it/alatricolore/sopravvissuti/sopravvissuti.htm)

Kitoro Kid
16th May 2012, 08:56
I was passing through Accra, Ghana on KQ a few weeks ago and saw that the old Ghana Airways DC10 has been moved from the hanger and taken just off the airport, and loosk to be on the side of road in a "plot" so assume it will be converted into something else?

Noyade
16th May 2012, 09:19
Martin Mariner caravan...

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/2848/img658n.jpg (http://img854.imageshack.us/i/img658n.jpg/)

skydiver69
16th May 2012, 09:30
A jet aeroplane is on display next to the Mehrabad airport in Tehran. It used to be a restaurant which then closed for a number of years but I think my wife's cousin (an air hostess for Iran Air) said it had been renovated and had re-opened. IIRC it is located in an aviation outdoor museum.

Noyade
16th May 2012, 09:39
Jet house/home...

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3747/airplanehouse.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/airplanehouse.jpg/)

treadigraph
16th May 2012, 10:19
There used to be a C-124 just off the airport at Las Vegas McCarran; I believe it was to have/had been used as a restaurant or casino or some such other purpose. It was there in when I went in 2000 and appeared to be in reassonable shape but has subsequently been scrapped.

cliver029
16th May 2012, 12:52
Where is WT555 now?

evansb
16th May 2012, 15:33
Link to the former Super Connie Airplane Bar, Mississuaga, Ontario:


Urban Exploration Resource: Display Location: The Super Connie Airplane Bar (http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=24000)

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6105/0775667.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3913/pa30016120mcdonalds20dc.jpg

Lightning Mate
16th May 2012, 16:54
Here's a restaurant in Romania.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/Lightning_29/dc3.jpg

Proplinerman
16th May 2012, 19:07
Inside the "DC-6 diner" at Coventry. G-SIXC, ex-Air Atlantique.

DSC_0047 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/5650016145/)

Geezers of Nazareth
16th May 2012, 19:11
In France, to the east of Paris, there's a Breguet Duex-Ponts at a spam field in-use as a bar (we had a beer in it!).

Very close to the border of Germany (or what was East Germany) and the Czech Republic there is a Tu-104 in use as a bar. It's on the Czech side, about 200m inside. We also had a beer here!

In the Czech Republic, to the north-east of Prague, there is a IL-18 at a motorway service station. We had a beer here, too. And a 'P'!
This one qualifies easily, as it's been completely re-painted in an orange and white colour scheme.

Somewhere in up-state New York, there is an exclusive hotel which has a converted USCG S-61 as a hotel-room. (not been here, very expensive, probably couldn't afford a beer here!).

In Pattaya, Thailand there is a DC-3 used as an eye-catcher for "Ripley's Believe it or not!". It's painted bright-red, and is stuck half-in/half-out of a building as if it's crashed.

To the east of Pattaya there is a major golf course called the 'Siam Country Club', outside the entrance as an eye-catcher, they have an old NAMC YS-11.

To the south of Pattaya there is the old USAF base at U-Tapao ... now it's U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy base - at the southern end of the runway there is an old DC-3 which is converted into a hotel.

oxenos
16th May 2012, 21:51
A lot of Ryanair's 737 - 200s were painted with adverts, and that was when they were still operating. I should know, I flew all of them. Unfortunately I have no pictures. Can anyone else come up with them? The "yellow peril " (Hertz), Jaguar, two mobile phone companies ( EI-CJD, the mad cow, and CNT), News of the world, and a beer, come to mind.

Noyade
16th May 2012, 23:30
Caribou observation post - Vietnam 1964....

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2949/img664.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/i/img664.jpg/)

Proplinerman
17th May 2012, 19:38
At Manchester today, I saw one labelled "Bye bye Latehansa." He takes the biscuit for cheek, Michael O'Leary. I also recall "Arriverderci Alitalia" a few years ago.

It probably sounds sniffy, but personally I think putting this kind of brash slogan on an airliner cheapens it-just like those silly "Keep Duty free" decals on Britannia's aircraft in the late 1990s.

l.garey
21st May 2012, 12:59
This Il76T, TL-ACH, was used to advertise a local hotel and was the gate guardian at Umm Al Qaiwain airport in the UAE. Taken in December 2001.

Laurence

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc39/apollo-fox/Il76003a.jpg

l.garey
21st May 2012, 13:26
Although not a "bill-board", 707-458 ex 4X-ATB sat outside Tegel Airport in Berlin painted as Lufthansa D-ABOC (I first saw it in 1994). It was famous for its involvement in an infamous hijack in 1970.

The 707 mentioned by gruntie and tail wheel (ex VH-EBP) as "The Plane" café at Cairo was also SU-BBA. I saw it there in June 1995.

Laurence

WHBM
21st May 2012, 17:24
The Hunter on top of the Vanguard Removals building by the A40 road in West London has been gone for many years now. In passing a number of my colleagues thought the aircraft type was therefore actually a Vanguard !

A lot of Ryanair's 737 - 200s were painted with adverts, and that was when they were still operating. I should know, I flew all of them. Unfortunately I have no pictures. Can anyone else come up with them?

EI-CJC Yellow Hertz

Photos: Boeing 737-204/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-204-Adv/2078470)

EI-CNY Red Kilkenny beer

Photos: Boeing 737-230/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-230-Adv/1873755)


EI-CJE Green Jaguar cars

Photos: Boeing 737-204/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-204-Adv/1661919)

EI-CJD Turquoise Eircel mobile phone

Photos: Boeing 737-204/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-204-Adv/1661916)

EI-CNT Red/white Sun/News of the World newspapers

Photos: Boeing 737-230/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-230-Adv/1660099)

later EI-CNT Red/White Vodafone

Photos: Boeing 737-230/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-230-Adv/1662000)

EI-CNX Tipperary Crystal

Photos: Boeing 737-230/Adv Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Ryanair/Boeing-737-230-Adv/1190657)

TRY2FLY
21st May 2012, 17:28
A 747 hostel a Stockholm Arlanda

http://www.jumbostay.com/

VictorGolf
21st May 2012, 17:34
Passing through Turangi on Lake Taupo, New Zealand in 2008, a DC-3 was just being finished off to act as a cafe.

oxenos
21st May 2012, 17:48
Thanks for those WHMB

stepwilk
21st May 2012, 18:53
Thanks to all for their excellent postings and extensive answers to my original post/question.

Geezers of Nazareth
22nd May 2012, 11:29
There is (or 'was') an old Convair 880/990 just across the road at Lisbon Airport which was advertising a strip-club. Not sure if it's still there.

Groundloop
23rd May 2012, 07:58
Do a standard photo search on airliners.net with "Western Pacific" in the "Airline..." box.

evansb
23rd May 2012, 08:50
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/convair640/2848946757_b242de38b51.jpg

HighTow
23rd May 2012, 08:52
Horsa glider cocktail lounge.

http://www.kzwp.com/lyons2/spike4.jpg

astir 8
23rd May 2012, 10:06
DC3 bar, the Airways Hotel, Port Moresby.

One of these days I'll learn how to post photos!

stepwilk
23rd May 2012, 14:22
Evansb, that Constellation on a house or building, any idea where it is?

Ridge Runner
23rd May 2012, 14:47
Evansb, that Constellation on a house or building, any idea where it is?

It says Ontario... is that not correct, mate? :)

sycamore
23rd May 2012, 17:34
Can`t give a link,but if you try ..727 Fuselage Home, Hotel Costa Verde, Manuel Antonio beach (http://www.costaverde.com/727.html), there`s avery bespoke 727.The article also refers to another article in Forbes Magazine on re-cycling 727s..