- Steve Jones, a stay-at-home dad from Lancashire, England, converted an engine from a decommissioned VC10 jet plane into a camper trailer.
- Jones estimates he spent 1,000 hours over the course of three months transforming the engine into a trailer that he, his wife, and two sons can take camping.
- Jones told Business Insider he previously worked as a technician for the Royal Air Force.
- Take a look inside the “VC10 Caravan Pod,” which is 13 feet long, comes with two doors plus a skylight, and is already turning heads on the highway.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Stay-at-home dad Steve Jones transformed a hollowed-out jet engine into a camper trailer for his family in Lancashire, England.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
A former technician for the Royal Air Force, Jones spent 1,000 hours between January and mid-March of this year on the build.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Jones told Business Insider he’s been fixing up camper vans and camper trailers as a hobby for over a decade, but had never embarked on a project quite like this one.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
In 2013, he learned through a friend that the Royal Air Force had decommissioned a VC10 jet plane, and the idea came to him to turn one of its engines into a trailer if they ever went up for sale.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
This past September, an opportunity to buy one finally came about.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
When Jones drove his purchase from the scrapyard to his barn, he noticed “a lot of finger pointing” from onlookers taken aback by the sight of 13-foot-long plane engine on the roads.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Steve spent a total of $5,025 (£4,000) renovating the trailer, and it was no easy feat.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Jones first had to gut all of the wires, clips, and pipe work.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Next, he flattened the bottom of the engine to fit on a chassis.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Then, he prepared the doors and windows.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Lining the interior of the engine with plywood was the most difficult part, Jones told Business Insider, due to its curved shape.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
After covering the plywood with stretch carpet lining, he focused on making the trailer habitable.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
He put in a mini kitchen with a sink, twin burners, and cabinets.
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On the opposite wall, he put up a display shelf.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
He also installed a lounge-dining area that converts into sleeping quarters.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
The benches move together to form a double bed, and the seat backs flip up to become two twin beds.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Two doors plus a skylight open up to the outside.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
The larger of the two doors allows for al fresco dining.
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Jones and his family haven’t taken the trailer out yet due to COVID-19, but he told Business Insider that he looks forward to using it later this year.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Plus, Jones is still putting the finishing touches on it. He plans to paint the exterior so that it resembles the original jet: white on the top and gray on the bottom, with a blue line through the center.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Since appearing in an episode of “George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces,” a British home improvement TV show, Jones has received offers from interested buyers as high as $31,477 (£25,000) for his custom trailer.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Despite buyer interest, Jones told Business Insider that he doesn’t plan to sell the VC10 Caravan Pod for at least a few years.
Foto: Source: Courtesy Steve Jones
Here’s a video walkthrough of the caravan pod and its features:
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