7 ms·

Jumbo Stay

139 points by jka 4y ago

miohtama 4y ago
If anyone is young and has opportunity, I highly recommend backpacking and going off the beaten track. Stay in weird hostels like these with strangers. It is one of the best recreational experiences you can have.
- rollcat 4y ago
  This, plus hitch hiking - not just A->B but a longer trip, spanning weeks or months. I took a gap year in 2012 and visited 17 countries on a ~€5/d budget. It was a life-changing experience.
  - emadabdulrahim 4y ago
    This is something I've never had the guts to do. Do you mind sharing how did it change your life?
    - abyssin 4y ago
      I’m not parent but I, too, can say hitchhiking changed my life. First it made it possible for me to travel, because I was too poor to move around otherwise. Travelling is life-changing for many, and it was for me as well. I received lots of love and kindness. Second it was a chance to experience an activity that put me in the present. Like sailing, paragliding, or hunting for instance, hitchhiking is about gathering free energy, the one that’s available right there, right now. But this energy is unlocked through a peculiarly social technique. Which brings us to the third way it changed my life. It was a fantastic chance to exercise my social abilities. Granted, it’s a very specific situation: getting a stranger to trust you in a short time, while assessing if you should trust said stranger, not only in terms of basic safety but also in regards to their ability to actually help you—many want to be kind even to the cost of actually wasting your time. The fourth one would be related to the people I met and the conversations I had with them while in the car. Oftentimes, drivers have a good reason for being on the road. I met many professionals who gave me a glimpse into their world. I had the chance to ask questions for hours to several entrepreneurs. I also got to see some of the diversity of society. Where else can you hear people talk with no regard for political correctness? Fifth, there’s a hitchhiking subculture (at least in Europe) with fascinating characters and a great aesthetic.
    - andruby 4y ago
      I spend 3 months in Australia and New Zealand. And travelled around a lot in other places too. My answer to your question would be learning about different countries, different cultures. Seeing that there are interesting and friendly people everywhere. I feel like it made me a lot more tolerant and open minded. If life ever gets really though, I know I can always go to NZ. Sounds silly, but I _think_ this has made me more resilient, more able to put things into perspective.
    - rollcat 4y ago
      Well it definitely changed my guts ;) I used to be afraid of so many things, and still am! But it got me in the mindset of addressing fear rationally, and treating it as a challenge. (I later picked up downhill longboarding.) Also: taught me to trust people, to be gracious of gifts and opportunities coming my way, many ways of being creatively resourceful under constraints... It was also one hell of a physical challenge: hours thumbing in the hot weather, kilometres walked because the spot was bad, etc. I've pushed my limits way harder than I was ready for, got ill twice - I'm still pushing myself a bit too much sometimes, but I'm more mindful about it. I think the most important part was experiencing other cultures - sorry if it sounds cliché! I feel travel is much more "mainstream" these days. I grew up in some city somewhere in central Poland, far from a highway, far from an airport. I was the only person from my "previous life" circles who dared do this kind of stuff, so I've seen and done things that nobody I knew could even tell tales of. And it paid off (literally), because shortly after, I scored my first job at an international company, where I felt right at home.
Tade0 4y ago
Airliners make great restaurants: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1x-D47A0tg/maxresdefault.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1x-D47A0tg/maxresdefault.jpg So great actually, that there exist restaurants made to look like the inside of one: https://flykouzina.com/ https://flykouzina.com/ But I've never heard of repurposing them as a hotels.
- ghaff 4y ago
  The best was probably Pan Am's first class lounge in a 747. https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/pam-am.jpg https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/pam-am.jpg Alas, over time, economics dictated that the space be converted to business class seating when that level of service came in.
  - dehrmann 4y ago
    People reminisce about the golden age of aviation, but most of the modern complaints are actually that airline deregulation drove down prices, and consumers made it very clear that they'll sacrifice service for cheaper fares. You really do get better service if you pay for it, and modern long-haul business class seating would be unimaginable in the 70's, let alone the suites offered by ME3 carriers.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      Oh certainly. Not that travel can't still have its unpleasant aspects, e.g. flight delays/cancellations, but pay for TSE Pre, airline clubs, business class seating (especially international lie-flat seating which puts what Pan Am had in first class to shame), etc. and I'm not sure air travel is consistently worse than it was in the 70s.
    - kilroy123 4y ago
      I agree. A long haul flight in business isn't bad at all. Now going to and from the airport and all that comes with it? That's a different story...
- dreamcompiler 4y ago
arh68 4y ago
See also, the guy living in a 727 somewhere out in Oregon or something [1] https://www.airplanehome.com https://www.airplanehome.com
- eclipticplane 4y ago
  What a rabbit hole! I remember reading about this guy maybe 10 years ago, and he's still at it. There's even a summer picnic concert this summer hosted from the 727 wings: https://www.groupmuse.com/events/12485-portlandia-brass-ensemble-winging-it https://www.groupmuse.com/events/12485-portlandia-brass-ense...
GoatOfAplomb 4y ago
Amazing how many hotel rooms can fit into a jumbo jet. See also El Avion bar/restaurant in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (https://www.elavion.net/history https://www.elavion.net/history). That plane was involved in the Iran-Contra affair and was abandoned as that came to light.
- michaelbuckbee 4y ago
  This YT video has a little more background on the plane and a really extensive tour of it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwyNB1J9iiU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwyNB1J9iiU
hanslub42 4y ago
I actually stayed there one night. Cozy little place (I mean, a 747 makes a big airplane, but a rather small hotel) I slept in one of the motors, if remember well. Quite small, I had to climb into my bed (like in a bunk bed, but the lower bed was part of the actual room)
- nharada 4y ago
  Same! In retrospect I really should have sprung for the flight deck room
- metadat 4y ago
  What is meant by "I stayed in one of the motors"? Was it part of a wheel well, a jet engine, or what?
  - blamazon 4y ago
    Jet engine: https://www.jumbostay.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/00000518_web-1-1024x683.jpg https://www.jumbostay.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/0000051...
  - dredmorbius 4y ago
    Inside one of the engine nacelles. The engine-y bits are no longer there. https://www.jumbostay.com/room/engine-room/ https://www.jumbostay.com/room/engine-room/
ushakov 4y ago
does the airplane still have the avionics? how you can just leave millions of dollars worth of tech behind
- robbiep 4y ago
  From what I understand (admittedly little) the engines are the most valuable part of a eol airliner
  - dehrmann 4y ago
    Wouldn't surprise me. The lifespan of an airframe is far longer than that of an engine, and they're designed to be swapped out. They can even be transported under-wing: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-qantas-ferried-an-engine-on-the-wing-of-a-747/ https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-qantas-ferried-an-eng...
  - notahacker 4y ago
    The engine is basically a collection of life limited parts, so the range of value in the engines depends hugely on how many engine hours flown since the engine was last rebuilt. They can be worth a few million dollars removed from an aircraft that's otherwise unsaleable (to swap onto the remaining aircraft still in service) or of negligble value themselves.
- dehrmann 4y ago
  Assuming they weren't upgraded, the plane was 30+ years old when it was decommissioned. Normally, I'd say the market for equipment that old is third-world countries, and the old planes need old parts, but the 747 is a big plane. The other buyers of old airplanes are companies like UPS and DHL, but I'm not sure they want them that old, and they'd probably upgrade the avionics.
- nickelpro 4y ago
  The maintenance cost associated with end-of-life commercial flight equipment quickly outpaces the cost of buying a new platform. Without maintenance, the avionics (and everything else on the plane) is barely worth its weight in scrap metal (because even scrapping is expensive).

139 points by jka 4y ago

If anyone is young and has opportunity, I highly recommend backpacking and going off the beaten track. Stay in weird hostels like these with strangers. It is one of the best recreational experiences you can have.

rollcat 4y ago
This, plus hitch hiking - not just A->B but a longer trip, spanning weeks or months. I took a gap year in 2012 and visited 17 countries on a ~€5/d budget. It was a life-changing experience.
- emadabdulrahim 4y ago
  This is something I've never had the guts to do. Do you mind sharing how did it change your life?
  - abyssin 4y ago
    I’m not parent but I, too, can say hitchhiking changed my life. First it made it possible for me to travel, because I was too poor to move around otherwise. Travelling is life-changing for many, and it was for me as well. I received lots of love and kindness. Second it was a chance to experience an activity that put me in the present. Like sailing, paragliding, or hunting for instance, hitchhiking is about gathering free energy, the one that’s available right there, right now. But this energy is unlocked through a peculiarly social technique. Which brings us to the third way it changed my life. It was a fantastic chance to exercise my social abilities. Granted, it’s a very specific situation: getting a stranger to trust you in a short time, while assessing if you should trust said stranger, not only in terms of basic safety but also in regards to their ability to actually help you—many want to be kind even to the cost of actually wasting your time. The fourth one would be related to the people I met and the conversations I had with them while in the car. Oftentimes, drivers have a good reason for being on the road. I met many professionals who gave me a glimpse into their world. I had the chance to ask questions for hours to several entrepreneurs. I also got to see some of the diversity of society. Where else can you hear people talk with no regard for political correctness? Fifth, there’s a hitchhiking subculture (at least in Europe) with fascinating characters and a great aesthetic.
  - andruby 4y ago
    I spend 3 months in Australia and New Zealand. And travelled around a lot in other places too. My answer to your question would be learning about different countries, different cultures. Seeing that there are interesting and friendly people everywhere. I feel like it made me a lot more tolerant and open minded. If life ever gets really though, I know I can always go to NZ. Sounds silly, but I _think_ this has made me more resilient, more able to put things into perspective.
  - rollcat 4y ago
    Well it definitely changed my guts ;) I used to be afraid of so many things, and still am! But it got me in the mindset of addressing fear rationally, and treating it as a challenge. (I later picked up downhill longboarding.) Also: taught me to trust people, to be gracious of gifts and opportunities coming my way, many ways of being creatively resourceful under constraints... It was also one hell of a physical challenge: hours thumbing in the hot weather, kilometres walked because the spot was bad, etc. I've pushed my limits way harder than I was ready for, got ill twice - I'm still pushing myself a bit too much sometimes, but I'm more mindful about it. I think the most important part was experiencing other cultures - sorry if it sounds cliché! I feel travel is much more "mainstream" these days. I grew up in some city somewhere in central Poland, far from a highway, far from an airport. I was the only person from my "previous life" circles who dared do this kind of stuff, so I've seen and done things that nobody I knew could even tell tales of. And it paid off (literally), because shortly after, I scored my first job at an international company, where I felt right at home.

Tade0 4y ago

Airliners make great restaurants: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1x-D47A0tg/maxresdefault.jpg https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1x-D47A0tg/maxresdefault.jpg So great actually, that there exist restaurants made to look like the inside of one: https://flykouzina.com/ https://flykouzina.com/ But I've never heard of repurposing them as a hotels.

ghaff 4y ago
The best was probably Pan Am's first class lounge in a 747. https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/pam-am.jpg https://vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/pam-am.jpg Alas, over time, economics dictated that the space be converted to business class seating when that level of service came in.
- dehrmann 4y ago
  People reminisce about the golden age of aviation, but most of the modern complaints are actually that airline deregulation drove down prices, and consumers made it very clear that they'll sacrifice service for cheaper fares. You really do get better service if you pay for it, and modern long-haul business class seating would be unimaginable in the 70's, let alone the suites offered by ME3 carriers.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Oh certainly. Not that travel can't still have its unpleasant aspects, e.g. flight delays/cancellations, but pay for TSE Pre, airline clubs, business class seating (especially international lie-flat seating which puts what Pan Am had in first class to shame), etc. and I'm not sure air travel is consistently worse than it was in the 70s.
  - kilroy123 4y ago
    I agree. A long haul flight in business isn't bad at all. Now going to and from the airport and all that comes with it? That's a different story...
dreamcompiler 4y ago

arh68 4y ago

See also, the guy living in a 727 somewhere out in Oregon or something [1] https://www.airplanehome.com https://www.airplanehome.com

eclipticplane 4y ago
What a rabbit hole! I remember reading about this guy maybe 10 years ago, and he's still at it. There's even a summer picnic concert this summer hosted from the 727 wings: https://www.groupmuse.com/events/12485-portlandia-brass-ensemble-winging-it https://www.groupmuse.com/events/12485-portlandia-brass-ense...

GoatOfAplomb 4y ago

Amazing how many hotel rooms can fit into a jumbo jet. See also El Avion bar/restaurant in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (https://www.elavion.net/history https://www.elavion.net/history). That plane was involved in the Iran-Contra affair and was abandoned as that came to light.

michaelbuckbee 4y ago
This YT video has a little more background on the plane and a really extensive tour of it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwyNB1J9iiU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwyNB1J9iiU

hanslub42 4y ago

I actually stayed there one night. Cozy little place (I mean, a 747 makes a big airplane, but a rather small hotel) I slept in one of the motors, if remember well. Quite small, I had to climb into my bed (like in a bunk bed, but the lower bed was part of the actual room)

nharada 4y ago
Same! In retrospect I really should have sprung for the flight deck room
metadat 4y ago
What is meant by "I stayed in one of the motors"? Was it part of a wheel well, a jet engine, or what?
- blamazon 4y ago
  Jet engine: https://www.jumbostay.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/00000518_web-1-1024x683.jpg https://www.jumbostay.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/0000051...
- dredmorbius 4y ago
  Inside one of the engine nacelles. The engine-y bits are no longer there. https://www.jumbostay.com/room/engine-room/ https://www.jumbostay.com/room/engine-room/

ushakov 4y ago

does the airplane still have the avionics? how you can just leave millions of dollars worth of tech behind

robbiep 4y ago
From what I understand (admittedly little) the engines are the most valuable part of a eol airliner
- dehrmann 4y ago
  Wouldn't surprise me. The lifespan of an airframe is far longer than that of an engine, and they're designed to be swapped out. They can even be transported under-wing: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-qantas-ferried-an-engine-on-the-wing-of-a-747/ https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-qantas-ferried-an-eng...
- notahacker 4y ago
  The engine is basically a collection of life limited parts, so the range of value in the engines depends hugely on how many engine hours flown since the engine was last rebuilt. They can be worth a few million dollars removed from an aircraft that's otherwise unsaleable (to swap onto the remaining aircraft still in service) or of negligble value themselves.
dehrmann 4y ago
Assuming they weren't upgraded, the plane was 30+ years old when it was decommissioned. Normally, I'd say the market for equipment that old is third-world countries, and the old planes need old parts, but the 747 is a big plane. The other buyers of old airplanes are companies like UPS and DHL, but I'm not sure they want them that old, and they'd probably upgrade the avionics.
nickelpro 4y ago
The maintenance cost associated with end-of-life commercial flight equipment quickly outpaces the cost of buying a new platform. Without maintenance, the avionics (and everything else on the plane) is barely worth its weight in scrap metal (because even scrapping is expensive).