Airplanes as billboards, hotels, gas stations, etc.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

For a magazine article that I'm doing, I'm looking for airplanes that have been converted into cocktail lounges, gas-station roofs (like the B-17 outside Portland, Oregon), FBO offices (the "Greenwood Lake Connie"), homes, hotels, roadside attractions, etc. Not just gate guardians or hulks sitting in somebody's pasture but truly desecrated ships.

Any suggestions?

[JohnB]

A Shackelton painted like a Coke can atop a building in South Africa.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Coca-Col ... 0666080/L/
Truly weird.

And another you've probably seen, a huge airliner (Fokker?) being used as a gas station in Los Angeles in the 30s.
http://viewlinerltd.blogspot.com/2009/1 ... -life.html

And there was a TWA Super Connie as the "Flight 42" cocktail lounge in Kansas City in the 60s. Sadly, long gone now.
Len Morgan had photos in his Constallation book that he published in the 70s.

Likewise, a KC-97 is still in use in Wisconsin as a hotel or lounge.

Also, the Canadian Pacific DC-3 wind T at Whitehorse, Yukon. Not desecrated, just "repurposed".

Last edited by JohnB on Wed May 16, 2012 12:13 pm, edited 6 times in total.

[Versatile]

Someone in Kansas City recently put a DC-3 on a pole for advertising

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... -with.html

The expansion will include a new Roasterie Café in its Crossroads Arts District facility at 1204 W. 27th St., Kansas City. It also will bring a larger cupping room, an event space and a full-sized DC-3 airplane mounted on top of the building.

[The Inspector]

There was, 35 odd years ago, a 749 CONNIE used as a bar mounted on a building on Clearview Causeway in Meterie LA.
And an auto parts store in Lynnwood WA. that had a BT-13/15 mounted firewall down on the roof, and a now flying P-40 that, as a kid I recall sat on a gas station on California St. and Marine View Dr. in Everett WA. that had an electric motor hooked to the prop so it spun (I believe John Paul in Spud Junction saved it).

[JFS61]

One of the two R6V Constitutions was used as a billboard in Las Vegas up until Howard Hughes bought the property and (sadly) had it hauled away for scrap:

http://www.aero-web.org/database/aircra ... m?id=14312

[Zachary]

There is an Ercoupe painted up in AeroShell team colors on the top of a Shell gas station in Wautoma, Wisconsin.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/587436.html

[Wildchild]

A Shackelton painted like a Coke can atop a building in South Africa.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Coca-Col ... 0666080/L/
Truly weird.

Isn't that Pelican 16?

There is an Ercoupe painted up in AeroShell team colors on the top of a Shell gas station in Wautoma, Wisconsin.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/587436.html

Hey ive been looking for a Ercoupe

[corsair166b]

You get the C-97 down at Colorado Springs that they have decked out as a (successful) restaurant? Don't have a link to it but should be easy to find online...

Mark

[robkamm]

Ive been wanting to do this at my gas station . I have a small home built biplane i may stick up there. I really want a junk f104 to stick on a stick.I have about 22ft between the building and the curb.

[maxum96]

You get the C-97 down at Colorado Springs that they have decked out as a (successful) restaurant? Don't have a link to it but should be easy to find online...

Mark

[ErrolC]

Pointers to a few examples in New Zealand:

A DC-3 above a cafe at Mangaweka (moderately famous, is on State Highway 1, used to be advertising 'Cookie Time')
A DC-3 above a McDonalds in Taupo (in McDonalds 'colours' from memory)

A Bristol Freighter containing two Motel units at Otorohanga

A MiG-21 above an office in Onehunga, Auckland

[gale_dono]

There was, 35 odd years ago, a 749 CONNIE used as a bar mounted on a building on Clearview Causeway in Meterie LA.
And an auto parts store in Lynnwood WA. that had a BT-13/15 mounted firewall down on the roof, and a now flying P-40 that, as a kid I recall sat on a gas station on California St. and Marine View Dr. in Everett WA. that had an electric motor hooked to the prop so it spun (I believe John Paul in Spud Junction saved it).

The BT-13/15 is still there, I think-I found a photo on flickr that sounds like it could be that one, but it's a bit buried at the moment. I'll do what I can to find it. Meantime, I've had good results searching airliners.net for "petrol" "gas station" and "restaurant"

[Stoney]

As a brand new PPL in 1966, I flew to Las Vagas for the weekend with -1 and saw the R6V, to bad they scraped her.

[The Inspector]

One of the hotels in South Renton, WA has/had a Cessna 150 on the roof of it's bar, the hotel is directly in line with the Northbound approach to Renton Muni (KRNT) and it was pireped a lot by newbies into Renton, I think they stopped the reports by painting the name of the bar on the wings in screaming bright colors and lighting it from overhead.
Jet Chevrolet in Federal Way, WA. south of SEATAC has used an ex Czech Mig 21 as it's 'dig us' along the edge of I-5 for decades.
The 1930's airplane gas station on Wilshire Blvd was a FOKKER F-32 operated by WESTERN AIR EXPRESS for a while. it was four engined with two engines back to back on each side, one tractor, one pusher. WAE had to put a big screen over the forward side of each aft mounted propeller as the engines would occasionally throw a rocker box cover or parts and the rear prop would fire it into the cabin through the fabric skin, hit at least one passenger on one occasion and scared the crapola out of a few more.

ROBKAMM check with your FSDO to make sure they won't wet themselves over your advertising plans

[PbyCat-Guy]

There's a 747, in europe somewhere, I believe Holland, that it was converted into a hotel.