In a remarkable story of resilience and creativity, Jo Ann Ussery, a woman from Mississippi, turned personal tragedy into a pioneering housing innovation by transforming a decommissioned Boeing 727 aircraft into a fully functional home. After losing her house to a fire in 1993, Ussery began an unconventional project that would later inspire a growing global movement of airplane-to-home conversions.
Ussery’s journey began when she needed an affordable and unique solution to rebuild her life. With a limited budget, she considered mobile homes but soon discovered that purchasing a retired airplane might be a cost-effective and more creative alternative. She found a decommissioned Boeing 727 for sale, which had previously flown for Continental Airlines and was later used for spare parts before being retired.
Surprisingly, the aircraft cost her just $2,000, though transporting it to her property in Benoit, Mississippi, and placing it securely cost around $4,000. She then spent the next six months meticulously renovating the airplane by herself, eventually investing less than $30,000 in the entire project.
What Ussery created was no ordinary home. The aircraft, once used to fly hundreds of passengers, became a 1,500-square-foot house complete with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully operational kitchen, and even a hot tub installed in the cockpit. She named her home “Little Trump,” a nod to her ambitious makeover and possibly a reference to Donald Trump, who was known at the time for owning a private Boeing 727.
From 1995 to 1999, Ussery lived comfortably in the aircraft, which was fully furnished and fully livable. The plane remained largely intact, keeping its original windows and structure, but its interior was completely reimagined to suit her lifestyle needs. The cockpit offered a unique view, and the fuselage’s round walls gave the home a futuristic feel.
Unfortunately, in 1999, tragedy struck again. While the aircraft was being moved to a new location to be displayed as a museum exhibit, it fell off the transport truck and was destroyed beyond repair. Despite this loss, Ussery’s story had already captured the public’s imagination and inspired many others across the world to rethink what makes a home.
Today, airplane homes have become a niche trend, from Costa Rica to Oregon, with people converting retired aircraft into unique, eco-friendly, and cost-effective homes. Jo Ann Ussery is widely credited as a pioneer of this movement. Her practical ingenuity showed the world that even out-of-service airplanes could serve a second life—as a home.
Her story was widely reported by several media outlets, including The Seattle Times, CNN, and The New York Times, and continues to circulate across blogs and social media as an example of alternative housing done right.
