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A MAYO UNDERTAKER’S plan to move a disused Boeing 767 from Shannon airport to a glamping site in Sligo is almost complete.
The decommissioned Boeing 767 aircraft is set to land at Enniscrone tomorrow morning after an incredible 36-hour journey by barge, starting from Shannon airport.
The seemingly mad plan has captured the imagination of people around the country after TodayFM’s Anton Savage Show first started following the David McGowan’s journey months ago.
The aircraft’s final destination will be his Quirky Nights Glamping Village where he is turning various modes of transportation – buses, taxis and a train – into camping accommodation.
The man with the plan, McGowan said:
We are making good progress, the barge with the aircraft is making her way up the Wild Atlantic Way. We got good news on the weather front too with expected swells now not materialising so we are in good shape to be in landing in Enniscrone tomorrow morning.
Numbers of people are expected to be present at Enniscrone tomorrow morning when the plane will be lifted from the barge, and then moved onto its final destination to the glamping village.
At 4pm the barge was seen off Achill Island and, according to the Anton Savage Show, McGowan had been in a helicopter checking on his plane.
Here’s a video of the plane sailing on the Shannon estuary earlier today.
The plan had a setback last week when McGowan struggled to find a tug-boat to bring the plane on the Shannon river to Enniscrone.
He overcame it by sourcing a boat from the UK, and afterwards the wings were chopped off to allow it to continue on its journey.
Speaking about the experience as a whole, McGowan said:
I have learned an awful lot about the power of people working together on this project. The community spirit has been fantastic. From the tremendous help I got from Shannon Airport, to the many, many people who turned out to see us off, makes it all worthwhile.
The Boeing 767 was originally owned by Russian airline Transaero and was bought from Shannon airport for €20,000.
Deirdre Whitney, property manager at Shannon Airport said that Shannon has worked with all sorts of cargo over the years but this initiative stands out.
“We have worked on many, many different projects over the years but never anything quite like this. I don’t think we will be seeing its likes again too soon, if ever,” she added.
Watch the aircraft’s journey from Shannon airport:
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I like the determination of the owner!
Great Idea…new for here….
Well done to all involved. Can’t believe RTE aren’t showing any of this. Great story.
Hope the last leg goes well for him. We’ll be there waiting! (May venture up this evening for the atmosphere!)
A lot of people have criticised this guy for spending silly money on a crazy idea! But from a business perspective this has been a master stroke! The free advertising this guy has generated couldn’t be bought! People will be “Dying” to stay there when its complete! !
“It wasn’t all plane sailing”
Fair play to him.
It’s not easy to overcome all the red tape and bureaucracy that was put in his way.
Boaty McPlaneface!
Are the wings going to be put back on when it’s in place?
Fair play to someone for making a go of a thing but isn’t glamping essentially camping in permanent structures? So sort of non camping camping like a chalet resort with a special name on it? It’s “put a fancy name on and whack the prices up”-ery.
I’ve just realised that this is exploiting hipsters with more money than sense. Bring it on.
Well done to all and the best of luck ✈️
This story is getting serious airtime! I wonder how much the owner is paying the Journal?
Q, sleep time..
Hi Rob, I think the journal are posting about this because it gets alot of “clicks” so the more clicks the better for the journal.
Lad your a fair clown..
I hope it takes off for him.
They Deirdre Whitney sounds like a right see you next tuesday
Should be a runaway success.
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20,000 for a boeng ??? Bargain !!!!
I would be very wary of being near, or getting into, any ex-Transaero aircraft given that Transaero lied to the British authorities following the Russian state sponsored assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, an ex KGB agent and critic of Vladimir Putin. It turned out the two Russian suspects in Mr Litvinenko’s murder travelled several times on Transaero aircraft between Moscow and London carrying quantities of Plonium 210, the radioactive substance used to kill him in a London restaurant. When the British authorities asked Transaero to test their aircraft for radioactive contamination Transaero said they had and they were all clear. However, when the Metropolitan Police impounded a Transaero aircraft at Heathrow as part of their investigation into Mr Litvinenko’s murder, they found it to be contaminated with the substance used to kill him. I, for one, would not get into a Transaero aircraft, decommissioned or otherwise.
Have model of same to scale.beautiful piece
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