This 1956 Douglas DC-6 Cargo Airplane Is the Most Creative, Beautiful Home Conversion

Airplane homes are not a novelty, but they do remain rare because of the challenging, extended conversion process and the high costs it entails. Decommissioned airplanes are relatively cheap, but moving them to the desired location, setting them up, and then transforming them into habitable spaces is what you could describe as a mission not for the faint of heart.

This is what makes airplane homes so special. But even among these special conversions, this one stands out because it's so beautifully and creatively done as to deceive you into seeing an actual home. A home with weird curved walls and lots of wiring and strange components, but a home nonetheless.

You could make an argument that turning an aircraft into a home is easy because you're working with an already solid base with sound insulation, preset wiring, and plumbing, so all you have to do is refurb that space to give it a more homely feel. That's what flight instructor Jon Kotwicki also assumed when he set out to convert an old aircraft into a space where he could have guests sleeping over.

Jon Kotwicki moved from Florida to Alaska about five years ago, determined to launch a private flight school with some extras on the side. These included accommodation for the students, which he wanted to be on-site, which is how he got the idea for the conversion. What could be more fitting than having flight school students sleep inside an airplane?

In 2022, Kotwicki bought a 1956 Douglas DC-6 plane that had served as cargo aircraft for more than 50 years, flying across the country carrying critical provisions and fuel. As he admitted in a recent interview, buying the aircraft was the easiest and cheapest part of the long process, as many others like himself found out.

Kotwicki says the aircraft and moving it to its current location, in Big Lake, where he owns a spot of land and an extended private landing strip, cost him over $100,000. And that was just the beginning of his adventure.

Moving the DC-6 to what would become its forever home was a matter of four 16-hour working days, where he, his girlfriend, and a friend worked to disassemble it for transport. The wings were also cut off and then separated into different pieces, and everything was loaded onto trailers for the 360-mile (580-km) journey.

The conversion itself was an 8-month operation of the "by the ear" type. Kotwicki worked on it with his girlfriend, admitting once it was over that they started off without a concrete plan, much less drawings or renderings. They knew they wanted an airplane home, and they knew they wanted to salvage as many items as possible from the original aircraft, so the conversion implied a lot of trial and error.

In the end, though, they were left with the most incredible airplane home, with features you're not going to find in any other. These include two attachments: one a Mud Room that doubles as laundry room, entry lobby, and extra storage, and the other a barbecue patio that will soon lead to a hot tub. The latter is located on one of the wings, so a hot tub on the wing of an airplane is a phrase you’re most definitely not going to read in relation to other conversions.

The DC-6 is now configured as a two-bedroom, one-bathroom space, with a fully functional and spacious kitchen, a residential-size bathroom (with a tiled shower, no less!), and a still original cockpit that Kotwicki plans to turn into a flight simulator soon. At maximum capacity, the plane can sleep as many as six people, including on the extendable living room couch, and is definitely large enough to permit movement without bumping into one another.

By keeping original components, Kotwicki was able to create a unique home – and we're not talking just about the cockpit. For example, both the original cargo door and the original entry doors are still in place and can be used by the guests. The former is perfect to open up the living room to the mountain view in the summer, while the latter opens inside the Mud Room and doubles as a showpiece.

For a home inside a decommissioned airplane, it's very elegant. The walls are shiplap with pine on the ceiling, recessed lights, and old airplane parts converted into light fixtures or wall decorations. The coffee table in the living room is an outstanding piece: a tire from a 747 with a glass top.

For comfort, Kotwicki installed a pressure tank to allow guests to take a shower and heated floors. He also focused on full-size appliances in the kitchen, which means the space can be actually used to cook proper meals three times a day, not just to put together sandwiches or boil an egg.

Kotwicki doesn't offer a full cost for the conversion, but even if he did, it would hardly be relevant, considering he and the GF did most of the work. In the summer of 2023, the DC-6 opened its doors for students and paying guests, for prices ranging between $200 and $700 per night, depending on the season.

Kotwicki says that the airplane home has proved such a hit – even more so than he anticipated – that he's already bought two more aircraft that he's converting.