A flying instructor in Alaska, has taken on a second gig as manager of an “airplane amusement park” complete with luxury accommodations built out of old, decommissioned aircraft.
John Kotwicki says there’s little red tape interfering with getting old airplanes up to his flight school and converting them into Airbnbs to use as a base to explore southern Alaska’s incredible natural scenery.
He’s in the process of converting a third aircraft, while also building a cabin into the top of a runway control tower for unparalleled stargazing, a frisbee golf course, volleyball court, and authentic aircraft hanger to display the parts ripped out of the old airplanes.
Kotwicki runs the pilot school FLY8MA, but never wanted to go into commercial aviation because of how “boring” it was, remarking that driving for Uber is more exciting because you can talk to the passengers.
It was after a trip to the south-central area of Alaska that he fell in love with the state’s wilderness and wanted to move that way. His plan was to develop his own runway and facilities for flying, but it quickly became so much more, as he had to add cottages for the students, and then cottages for the tourists who came via word of mouth from the students to experience the remote southern Alaska terrain.
“And then, like, let’s one up that,” Kotwicki told CNN. “It would be cool if we got an old airplane to turn into a house. Let’s make it really nice and put a Jacuzzi on the wing and a barbecue grill. Let’s get two more and have three of them.”
Starting with a US-built 1950s DC-6, known as the C-118 Liftmaster in the Air Force, Kotwicki then set to work on a larger DC-9, and then a Boeing 727.
Featuring heated floors, heated towel racks, a fully functioning kitchen, and a firepit/BBQ on the wing which is also a deck, the DC-6 sleeps up to 4 and runs $441 per night.
The DC-9 will have a spa/sauna as well, and be able to sleep 6, while the 727 will be more like a lodge space, with a big dining hall, and a rooftop deck on the tailwing.
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“It’s fun, whether it’s grown adults just in awe of the place, or it’s kids running up and down the whole length of the airplane, going crazy and running to the cockpit,” Kotwicki said. “It’s frustrating and stressful and overwhelming and expensive to do these things – but it’s rewarding.”
The property is all owned by Kotwicki and stretches out around 100 acres which he says has no zoning limitations whatsoever. The hardest part is finding the decommissioned planes to convert, which takes about 9 months of cold calling aviation acquaintances, and then transporting it up to Alaska on the highways.
Once there, the dampness and cold make it very difficult to maintain the planes, which are thin, light, and have to be specially insulated to keep the heat in for the guests. He admits it would have been a lot easier to do this sort of thing in Arizona, but the beauty and freedom of Alaska outweigh the maintenance requirements.
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There are grizzly bear viewing spots, incredible fishing opportunities, a cross-country ski trail, the Northern Lights, and so much more surrounding the airstrip.
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