18 Pictures Of Planes That Were Discovered In The Strangest Places

Since the Wright Brothers invented the airplane in 1903, the world has become smaller. These days, you can shop on Rodeo Drive in the morning, have lunch in New York, and watch live hockey in Canada at night. Airplanes have helped to boost the global economy not only by providing jobs in the aviation sector but also enabling individuals to connect under short time constraints. Since planes fly above clouds to avoid turbulence, which bad weather causes, one of the best views that I’ve seen is admiring the sky by flying above clouds. Apart from the sky, the most common places we find airplanes are on the long takeoff runways and parked in front of airports.

As with all inventions, not only do some people modify it to make it look different, but they also end up with it in the strangest places. To locate the least likely spots that you’d find airplanes, we gleaned photos from around the world. Our search led us to discover airplanes in tight spots, literally and figuratively, that most people wouldn’t believe without visual proof. To prove the doubters who believe that you cannot find planes in other places than the sky and the airport wrong, we’ve featured pictures of airplanes that’ll make you wonder how they reached these destinations.

18 WAR VETERANS

After the Second World War, the army could no longer use some planes due to their dilapidation. Instead of finding an airplane graveyard, the army found the closest forest and tucked the planes in between the green bushes.

Considering the planes carry a tremendous amount of history, the best option for the army would’ve been to maintain the planes and showcase them at museums.

Although the planes aren’t in the best condition, not a lot of work is required to restore them to their original states. Besides, the current state of the planes is worthy of being featured in museums.

17 HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Some people love airplanes so much that they decide to make them their home. Bruce Campbell has been living in the pictured plane since 1999 after purchasing it for $100,000, according to Atlas Obscura. Situated in the woods outside of Portland, Oregan is the retired Boeing 727. The plane is equipped with water, electricity, and a sewage system as well as 1,066 square feet of interior space. The plane also gained fame for transporting Aristotle Onassis’s body home to Greece for burial while Jackie Onassis and the family flew in the cabin. Campbell is part of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association.

16 TRAVELING BY BOAT

The last place that you’d expect to find a plane is on water. A decommissioned Boeing 767 became unique cargo shipment when it sailed on Irish waters.

The plane embarked on a 36-hour journey from Shannon Airport to Co Sligo via the sea.

The journey involved sailing on the lengthiest river in Ireland, the River Shannon. The river spans 224 miles and sources its water from the Shannon River Basin, which spans 6,512 square miles. For once, somebody provided the plane transportation. The boat crew detached the plane’s wings to avoid scraping any object along the way.

15 THAILAND GRAVEYARD

Even planes have a resting place after their conditions have deteriorated to the point that pilots cannot fly the magnificent machinery. If you’re in Asia, you can visit a plane graveyard that’ll give you the chills. These beautiful planes have found their resting ground at the eastern suburb of Ramkhamhaeng in Bangkok. The site has become a tourist attraction that’s home to deteriorating aircraft. Dilapidated planes have been on the site since 2010. The land belongs to a Thai businessman who sells the valuable parts of the airplanes for scrap. What’s unusual about the site is how close it is to living quarters.

14 PICTURESQUE

This is one of the most beautiful photos I’ve seen. The color of the plane complements the location and the grey clouds. The only sad part of this picture is that nobody can use that plane anymore or is likely to retrieve it. Although this isn’t the most conventional place to find a plane, maybe this one belongs in this environment. After all, the photo wouldn’t be as stunning without the plane. This flying machine has a few bumps and bruises but has maintained its appeal. The photographer should be proud of his discovery.

13 THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

You’re forgiven for thinking that this is an abandoned plane used as a tourist attraction. It looks like a real plane, but that was the point. Tourists who explore a village in Lebanon called “Miziara” will be surprised to discover the plane-like home. The villagers pride themselves on putting up residential homes that look like Egyptian ruins and Ancient Greek temples as well as airplanes. This homeowner built his house in the shape of an Airbus A380, according to The Atlantic. Regardless of what you may feel about the house, you have to respect the effort.

12 LIFE’S A BEACH


Flights don’t always go according to plan. The pilot of this abandoned plane found out the difficult way as he landed it on a beach. After several days on the beach, the plane sank while the wind covered it with sand.

Another unfortunate part of the story is that the plane was used for nefarious activities; reports claim that the plane was used to transport drugs.

Perhaps it’s for the best that the plane ended up on the beach and is no longer used for unintended purposes. After landing the plane on the beach, the pilot and the crew absconded to flee from the authorities. They left the drugs behind in the plane.

11 A HOMELY FEATURE

While some aviation enthusiasts keep model-size planes in their homes, others prefer to make a model size out of their homes. To make his holiday cabin more appealing, the owner decided to make a feature of his dwelling. What’s interesting to note is how the plane looks as if it crashed into the cabin and its nose is protruding. Although this plane is made for accommodation and not flying, I commend the effort. The amount of effort it took the owner to haul up the heavy plane is remarkable. You won’t see too many cabins like this.

10 UNDERWATER

The Mirage 2000 fighter-bomber crashed into the Aegean Sea after running into trouble while on an exercise with two other jets near the island of Samos, according to the Daily Mail.

The two pilots safely ejected before the plane crashed and ended up in the Athens Military Hospital. The accident happened the day after one of its F-16 fighter jets caught fire while taking off from Souda air base on the island of Crete. The rescue team attached cables to the sunken fighter jet and hauled it out of the water.

9 MOJAVE AIRPLANE GRAVEYARD

This is a sight for sore eyes. If you’re a plane lover and want to see a plethora of planes in one location, then you have to visit the airplane graveyard in Mojave. Situated at the junction of State Highways 58 and 14 is the old road town Mojave. The town is famous for its large airport where Burt Rutan designed his around-the-world-without-landing ‘Global Flyer’ and which is located on the western fringe of the upper Mojave desert. The site has served as storage to numerous dilapidated airplanes. Airlines that struggled during economic downturns turned these planes into mothballs, according to Strange Abandoned Places.

8 MAKE WAY FOR A PLANE ON THE HIGHWAY

For most drivers, commuting along the national highway doesn’t entail encountering a jumbo jet. If you’re one of the commuters on the A14 autobahn in Germany, you most probably have seen an A380 Lufthansa jumbo jet cross your path. The A14 links the port city of Wismar to Nossen, according to the Telegraph. The road navigates the Leipzig Airport right through the middle of the highway. Planes scheduled to leave or land on the airport’s Runway North must cross a taxiway bridge that goes through the highway.

7 A FIGHTER LAID TO REST

When the Prague art gallery Rudolfinum celebrated its 100th exhibition, the burial of a Soviet-made MiG-21 fighter plane was the attraction.

A British artist buried the fighter jet to symbolize the end of an era, according to Radio Praha.

“I was tasked with such a thing for the first time ever, and you would not believe how many dealers and military buffs there are who believe it is sacrilege to bury a fighter plane. It was very difficult to find people with enthusiasm for the idea,” said Roger Hiorns, the British artist. The manufacturer made more than 10,000 MiG 21s, making it the longest-produced supersonic aircraft.

6 TRAPPED

One of the main reasons that passengers miss their flights is they misjudge the time needed to get to the airport. Wouldn’t it be nice to step out of your yard and board the plane? Well, that’s possible if you live in the neighborhood that this plane managed to land in. Of course, the problem that you’ll face as a passenger is the time wasted to maneuver the plane back and forth until it’s in a position for takeoff. Then, you’ll have to pray that the pilot has enough land to take off without crashing into one of the houses.

5 NOWHERE TO GO

Whoever is missing a plane should visit Bali. In a field out of sight of a highway in Bali lies a Boeing 737.

The location of the plane is a limestone quarry on the southern coast of the Bukit Peninsula, which is five minutes from the Pandawa Beach and a small distance away from the Raya Nusa Dua Selatan Highway.

The details of how the plane arrived at the spot and whom it belongs to remain sketchy. Some people speculate that the owner was going to turn the plane into a restaurant but ran out of funds and abandoned the Boeing 737. The plane has become a tourist attraction.

4 HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

Tourists who are fortunate to visit the Caribbean island of Saint Martin are in for a treat when they visit the beach. The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island and provides beachgoers with plenty of entertainment. Pilots who land airplanes at the popular airport on the island are keen to showcase their landing skills to patrons of the beach. The fad of pilots landing low above the beach has spurred competition. Some of the pilots are adamant on outcompeting their peers, as they land on the runway of the Princess Juliana International Airport. Some of the smaller planes land so low that people on the beach can touch the planes.

3 SHOW-OFF

At the 2006 Gidroaviasalon Airshow, some pilots wanted to show off their skills. The pilot possesses a tremendous amount of skill to fly the plane and can even land this A-42 on water. Besides transporting cargo and passengers, the plane is capable of firefighting.

Ample room is available for passengers and cargo inside the plane, but the refueling probe on its nose betrays its purpose as an anti-submarine craft and military maritime patrol.

Considering that the manufacturers have struggled to find a buyer for the plane, only a few test aircraft exist.

2 A RUSSIAN SUPERSONIC

Russia has numerous tourist attractions. The Red Square, Moscow Kremlin, and Lake Baikal are some of the most popular destinations that tourists around the world snap pictures of when in Russia. Another site that’s become a popular tourist spot is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum. The museum boasts an impressive supersonic TU-144 that crashed. Much like the Concorde, this supersonic plane was used for a brief period before plummeting from the sky. Although the circumstances of the plane’s existence at the museum are unfortunate, it’s become a tourist attraction.

1 EVERYTHING’S A COMPETITION

If you thought that the plane landing at the Princess Juliana International Airport was low, then this one will leave you flabbergasted. Not only are pilots competing for low landings at the Princess Juliana Airport, but they’re trying to outdo each other at airports across the globe. Skiathos International Airport is situated on the island of Skiathos, Greece. The runway can accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-200. The pilot of this Air Italy plane wanted to show off his skills by landing way too close to innocent bystanders. The wheels of the plane are only a few feet above the heads of the onlookers.

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, theatlantic.com, nzherald.co.nz.

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