The ones of us who are used to frequent traveling sometimes feel like we are spending more time squeezed into airplane seats than in our actual bed. Now imagine having the best of both worlds: a huge comfortable bed in an airplane. Imagine lying down comfortably and gazing out into the night sky through rounded windows and dreaming of an airplane in the woods. For Bruce Campbell, this is reality. Inside a retired Boeing 727 set up on his private property in the woods close to Cornelius, Oregon, he spends one half of the year, the other six months remaining, he lives in Japan where he is currently making plans of relocating into a Boeing 747.

Bought in 2002, Bruce has been rebuilding and inhabiting this restored aircraft for more than 15 years now. Hearing him talk about the project, you will quickly understand that this is not only about living life the uncommon way, but rather about an emotional engagement driven by the fascination of airplanes. Speaking about the motivation of spending around $100.000 on the aircraft and another $120.000 for transports and refurbishments in order to build his home, Bruce says that, as aircrafts are built to withstand several massive circumstances and to endure occurrences of all kinds which is why they should not be scrapped once they are decommissioned. Appealing to people’s enthusiasm for alternative living and self-realization projects, he even provides an instruction guide for those interested in relocating into an airplane themselves.

Inside his 727, Bruce is owner, resident, passenger, steward and pilot at the same time. He has turned the wings into sun decks stretching out on either side of the aircraft, both of the original lavatories are fully functional. And while an airline would probably not allow their pilot to get comfortable with a stack of books in the cockpit, this is exactly what he uses it for. Where routes have been monitored, where takeoffs and touchdowns have been completed, Bruce has arranged a reading room that lets him wander his mind – supported by the view into the surrounding woods from the typical Cockpit windows. Hearing him speak about what he calls “His Bird”, one thing becomes clear: Home is where the “Bird” is. And where else would you find a bird than either up in the air or deep in the woods?

Mapify ambassador snickersv introduces us to this incredible spot in Cornelius, Oregon among others in his pacificnorthwest trip where he shows us around his home area of Portland, OR.