Bruce Campbell bought the 1,066-square-foot, 200-passenger Boeing 727 from a salvage company in 1999 for $100,000.
The electrical engineer, who is now 73, told CNBC Make It that his dream started when he was 15 and saw a TV show about an airplane graveyard. He made the decision to move into one.
Campbell decided to do it in 1999, but he didn't know how, so he hired a salvage company to help him find a plane.
“That was a Whopper class mistake. I’ll never do that again. Salvage companies are wreckers,” Campbell said. “I highly recommend just buying a jetliner completely intact and completely functional, except maybe the removal of the engines.”
In 1975, the plane was used to carry the body of Aristotle Onassis, who owned the airline. At the time of his death, the Greek-Argentinean shipping magnate was married to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was the first lady of the United States.
Campbell bought it for $100,000, and the plane was flown from Greece to Oregon so that Campbell could take ownership of it. Once the plane was ready, it was pulled through the streets of downtown Hillsboro on its way to Campbell's land. During that process, the engines and other parts of the plane were taken out so that it could never fly again. It cost $120,000 all together.
“When you live in a structure like this, you feel a little more fulfilled with your life,” he said. “And if you’re an engineer, scientist, or anyone who appreciates the elegance and beauty of aerospace technology, it’s just a happier place to live.”
Campbell doesn't have a stove. Instead, he has a microwave and a toaster oven, which he doesn't use very often. "I'm a nerd. "I don't cook, so there isn't much in the kitchen," he said.
Campbell has his workbench and futon sofa, which he uses both as a place to sleep and a place to work, next to the kitchen.
His monthly costs are $370, which includes property taxes of $220 and electricity costs of between $100 and $250.
“I have no regrets about pursuing this vision. In my experience with my guests, I believe that humanity will embrace this vision wholeheartedly in enough proportion that we can utilize every jetliner which retires from service,” he says.
Because he mostly splits his time between the U.S. and Japan, his hope is to one day have a plane home there, too. “It’s intended to put a home which I love in a land I love and with people I love,” he says. “If I can simply regain my youth, everything will be fine.”
