While most of us might well dream of having a nice country pile to head to on the weekend, some rustic cabin in the middle of nature where we can put our feet up, a retired airplane isn’t typically what we have in mind. But for Bruce Campbell finding the perfect getaway meant reaching for the sky.

The former electrical engineer from Portland, Oregon, has spent about $220,000 (€196,000) on converting a retired Boeing 727 jet into a surprisingly cosy home in the woods.

Complete with its wings and landing gear, the former Olympic Airlines craft is where since 1999 Campbell has been putting up his feet at the end of the day for about half the year. The remaining six months are spent in Japan, where he hopes to upscale to a retired 747.

Set on his 10-acre site in the middle of the wood, Campbell purchased the 727 after hearing how a Mississippi-based hairstylist had done the same thing.

Despite owning a jet that harkens back to the more glamorous days of air travel, Campbell’s existence on board is a relatively frugal one; he sleeps on a futon, washes himself in a makeshift shower, prepares meals with a microwave or toaster. But that’s not to say that Campbell isn’t fiercely house proud – he insists that all visitors change out of their shoes into slippers to avoid dragging dirt across his floors.

Campbell has created a website outlining how his refurbishment of the plane is going, and in doing so has joined an online community of residents living in retired aircraft – stretching from Texas to Costa Rica and the Netherlands.

Bruce recently spoke to Newstalk’s Sean Moncrieff about the challenges he has faced in acquiring and restoring his dream home, and why reusing retired aircraft is of such importance.

You can listen to that interview below, and take a look at some images of Campbell's home in the gallery: