A flight instructor who purchased three disused cargo planes has turned them into unique, luxury accommodations for students and tourists, and the renovation is mind-blowing.
Originally from Florida, Jon Kotwicki, 32, runs FLY8MA flight school out of Big Lake, Alaska. Founded in 2018, FLY8MA has trained over 20,000 people through online ground school courses for pilots.
“Our mission statement is really to just drive change and innovation in aviation education, to help reduce accidents and fatalities,” Mr. Kotwicki told The Epoch Times. “We reach a lot of people around the country, around the world, that take those courses, and we constantly get requests for actual in-person flight training for people to train with us here in Alaska.”
In 2021, FLY8MA bought a little over 100 acres of land, installed a private runway, and started building cabins for students undergoing flight training on-site. They then decided they could go one step further and purchase additional airplanes, turn them into Airbnbs, and ultimately “just create a really unique stay” for anyone visiting Alaska for flight school training or to visit other attractions such as glacier or wildlife tours.
‘Learning Curve’
After months of research, calling around, looking at satellite photos, and trying to track down disused airplanes, Mr. Kotwicki got three leads: a Douglas DC-6 formerly owned by Everts Air Cargo and Fairbanks that had flown for 70 years, a Douglas DC-9 formerly owned by DHL Freight that had flown for 40 years, and a Boeing 727 formerly owned by FedEx. All these aircraft had been unused for between five and eight years.“Two of them came from Fairbanks, Alaska, which is about 300 miles from us, then the 727 came from Anchorage, and that was about 60 miles,” said Mr. Kotwicki, who did not divulge how much each plane cost. “They were all towed over the highway to get here. Each one cost a little over $100,000 to get to the property, as far as transportation costs and relocating.”
Overall, the airplanes were in pretty good condition but had amassed dirt, grease, and grime from years spent serving as cargo vessels. FLY8MA stripped the planes down to bare metal to thoroughly clean and degrease them, and to remove any hazardous materials that may have remained.
Work began in 2022, and each airplane took four to five months to complete. Mr. Kotwicki, having never tackled a plane renovation before, said the process was “quite the learning curve.”
Fittings and Fixtures
To combat the harsh Alaskan winter weather, the team made sure all three aircraft were properly insulated, ventilated, and heated. Wanting to make the accommodation incredibly nice, they also installed heated floors, tiled showers, and full kitchens with full-size fridge freezers and stoves.The biggest challenge was working inside a curved metal space.
“When we build normal homes or cabins out of wood, they’re square or rectangular,” Mr. Kotwicki said. “When you start working inside of a curved space, and it’s metal, you can’t put a nail into metal; you have to drill and rivet, how the airplane was initially built. ... You have to do welding and things like that, where normally, in regular homes, you just nail or screw things together.”
Another big challenge was finding plumbers, electricians, and carpenters with aviation experience. They ended up working with a “compilation of people,” everyone from hired contractors to neighbors, friends from in and out of state, and local folks who'd heard about the project on the news and signed on as part-time laborers. All in all, there were a total of 2,025 hands on deck through all stages of the renovation.
The entire original structures of the airplanes and a lot of the mechanical workings were preserved since FLY8MA hoped to use them not only as accommodation but also as teaching tools.
“We wanted it to be a good educational tool for future pilots and future aircraft mechanics,” Mr. Kotwicki said, “so they’re able to come out here and still see a lot of the systems and a lot of the wiring, the hydraulics, all that stuff on the aircraft and how that works, really put their hands on it and get a close-up view of how these airplanes are put together.
Never Give Up
While the renovation was a very stressful and very frustrating process for Mr. Kotwicki, he insists that part of being a pilot and working in aviation is the ethos “just don’t ever give up.”
“You keep pursuing, you keep driving, and keep pushing until you get something done. So that stubbornness really does pay off,” he said. “Certainly the harder path is to stay the course and complete a project, but that is where you find success.”
Today, the DC-6 is a two-bedroom, one-bathroom guest house sleeping up to six, with a large kitchen-living area, dining room, and outdoor deck on the left wing with a barbecue grill and epic views. The DC-9 is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom guest house sleeping up to nine, and the 727 is set up as a communal space with a deck and hot tub for guests to enjoy, as well as functioning as an “instructional tool” with exposed interior systems for students to explore.
The finished renovation turned out better than Mr. Kotwicki ever expected. His two biggest wins were getting the planes onto the property without any mishap or injury and welcoming the first guests. He estimates the team spent between $60,000 and $100,000 renovating each aircraft, and while he never planned to spend so much, he is glad they gave it their all.
“Just a few short months before, [the 727] was a very dirty, used, old cargo plane, and now it’s a very beautiful, comfortable, luxury Airbnb.” Mr. Kotwicki said.
Needless to say, he has received an overwhelming response from guests.
“People are incredibly excited when they first pull up. ... It stands very tall, it’s very large. ... Rarely do you ever get the experience to even be up close like that to a large airliner,” he said.
During winter, FLY8MA charges around $300 per night for an entire aircraft. In summer, they plan to charge $600 to $800 per night. They also rent basic cabins nearby for anyone wishing to see the planes and stay locally for $80 to $120 per night.
Mr. Kotwicki and FLY8MA have another potential “crazy project” in the pipeline: a 60-foot tall air traffic control tower.
“Not that we actually have any sort of air traffic control at our airport ... but just simply being able to climb up high and take in all those views,” Mr. Kotwicki said. “We’re very fortunate here, where we have mountains every direction you look.”
