Flying Camper

Ray Jr

Ray Jr

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
110
Display Name
Display name:
Rayman
Hi, Has anyone ever heard of someone transforming their airplane into a flying Camper (aka RV, aka Recreational Vehicle) or other sort of live-in transportation ?

I imagine a King Air or something of the sort would make a pretty great flying apartment!

Cheers
 
EdFred said:
You need to go to the forum ihavealotofmoneytoburn.com to get that answer.
Click to expand...

Those guys are out there ! o_O
Like the opposite of this
e17100a9094ef9dc9a42040980395526.jpg
 
While it would be cool. Dropping close to a million on a King Air and gutting it and redo it...oh and good look getting the FAA to approve what you want to do in it...that's going to require me winning the next billion dollar powerball.
 
A King Air is way too small. A DC-3 would be great, but an Albatross is better because tricycle gear make the floor flat. You want standing head room, which means even a PBY Catalina won't work.
 
OneCharlieTango said:
A King Air is way too small. A DC-3 would be great, but an Albatross is better because tricycle gear make the floor flat. You want standing head room, which means even a PBY Catalina won't work.
Click to expand...
Well perhaps not full blown RV. I was thinking it would be neat to just remove some seats from a 8 - 10 seater and put in a bench seat that folds into a bed and then some extra cabinetry? So you could travel to those places less traveled by and not need to worry about finding hotels and what not.
 
Here you go....But seriously, I do remember a flying air camper (not a pietenpol) that was at SunNFun about 20 years back. The fuselage was more than twice the size of a Cherokee 6, was tube and fabric with lightweight furniture, etc. It was quite large to the point that the engine/prop looked way too small for it.

Flying-RV--79832.jpg
 
KELP used to have a converted Albatross that was parked on the ramp for a long time.

Was in it once -- it was done up nicely with multiple loft beds and plenty of living space.
 
I think there is something to be said for it if done well
 
There was a camper/plane that was in Kitplanes years ago. It was this hideous, fat, wide airplane that you could almost see through. I remember it had wicker furniture. I can't find it now.
 
OneCharlieTango said:
A King Air is way too small. A DC-3 would be great, but an Albatross is better because tricycle gear make the floor flat. You want standing head room, which means even a PBY Catalina won't work.
Click to expand...
A King Air 350 wouldn't be so bad. A 90, not so good.
 
I remember seeing a PBY done up as a camper back in the 1970s. The thing that sticks in mind was the nice couches or window seats built into the side gun blisters. As I recall they carried a couple of mopeds to get around on the ground. Around the same time Winnebago was offering the "Heli-Home", a converted Sikorsky S-58:

1976Helihome-2-500x325.jpg
 
Lowflynjack said:
There was a camper/plane that was in Kitplanes years ago. It was this hideous, fat, wide airplane that you could almost see through. I remember it had wicker furniture. I can't find it now.
Click to expand...

That's it that's above on post 13. I remember seeing that at SunNFun--wicker furniture and all
 
The Albatross is ideal for this. Sizable fuselage for comfort as a living space and enough places to fit lav, shower, kitchen, etc, big enough to stand up in, tri-gear so it's level, and amphibious to open up new possibilities for destinations. It's been done several times, most famously by Jimmy Buffett.

I've also seen amphib Caravans at Oshkosh that lack the full RV treatment but are large enough to cart along all the camping gear you'd ever want. I camped near a Turbo Commander in the North 40 one year that similarly had everything including the kitchen sink inside, to be spread out for camping. They even had a big-screen TV that they put out in their campsite to watch flying movies in the evening.

If you really have money to burn on this, a Lockheed-Martin LM-100J, which is an extended civilian version of the Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules, is probably the best way to burn said money. In fact, you could either outfit the plane as a giant flying camper, or better yet, you could just put a travel trailer, a boat, and a nice dually diesel pickup inside and go where you wish from the airport. Unfortunately, the cargo compartment isn't high enough (10') to accommodate most of the bigger motor homes.
 
I'm pretty sure these two live aboard "campers" beat them all. ;)

Air_Force_One_on_the_ground.jpg


article-2251071-16989F49000005DC-741_964x351.jpg


Airbus-A380-Owner-Prince-Al-Waleed-Bin-Talal.png
 
When the light sports where coming out,there was one company that had high wings with a camping interior. Didn’t survive.
 
Makes it a little tougher if you try to pull away with it still plugged in and the awning out.:)
 
Yeah, an AN-2 would be perfect, but you'd have to live within the restrictions of the experimental-exhibition certificate. A Short Skyvan would work, too...
 
A neighbor who died not too long ago (she was in her 90's)... had a Catalina. I think in the 1960's/70's She would pack up her kids and husband fly to lakes all over the place and camp for several days. She was a character and much admired around our town.
 
Dana said:
Yeah, an AN-2 would be perfect, but you'd have to live within the restrictions of the experimental-exhibition certificate. A Short Skyvan would work, too...
Click to expand...

There are a few that don’t have that restriction, oddly enough they often are the ones in really good shape that go for a bit more.

I thought I read somewhere that the FAA put all those restrictions on the AN-2 for political and industry reasons so it couldn’t undercut North American made utility planes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top