UP & AWAY
I turned a 1940s plane into a luxury camper van… it has three bedrooms & it’s road legal
It can even get up to take-off speeds
A VAN lifer has revealed how he turned a 1940s plane into a road legal luxury camper van boasting three bedrooms.
It may have taken him three attempts, but the proud owner can now enjoy life on the road in the 'fabulous' flying machine.
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Gino Lucci created the bizarre vehicle as part of a family tradition of DIY campers.
Dubbed the "Fabulous Flamingo", it is based on a '40s-era Phantom jet fighter, which were used extensively by the US Navy in the run-up to the Korean War.
This particular one had been used in South America before being used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a test craft, only for it to be taken out by a tornado.
Gino's son found the fuselage in a bit of a wreck in Missouri after it had been grounded for over 30 years.
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They eventually managed to combine the body of the plane with that of a delivery truck to create the perfect camper.
This was done using what Gino dubbed "hillbilly science", lining up the fighter with the van's chassis and cutting it down to size by hand.
Now though, after around three years of work, the van is ready to be lived in.
Restored to gleaming condition, the exterior still bears the FAA crest but has added lights, indicators and wing mirrors from a '70s Ford truck added, making it fully road legal.
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Passengers can get in and out via the fold-out stairs on the inside of the airline-style door.
Once inside, the tube-shaped motor is lined on one side by a long sofa and on the other by a kitchen unit, including a sink.
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Towards the rear, there is a bed installed into the wall next to a spacious dining table, while at the far end, there is room for a further two single beds.
The cockpit, meanwhile, has remained largely intact, including the original dials, while the gear stick is modelled on the plane's throttle lever.
And Gino revealed that it can actually reach take-off speeds, getting up to 85mph on the highway, though there's no danger of it going airborne.
He told : "I've dreamed of converting an aeroplane into an RV since I was eight years old.
"In our family, everybody built their motorhomes... it was just something I thought you did.
"There was an aeroplane I liked called the F4 Phantom, they called them the Fabulous Phantoms back in the '70s.
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"My wife likes flamingos...so the Fabulous Phantom became the Fabulous Flamingo.
"When we had the opportunity to buy it - we had to do it."
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