Dave Billings, a 45-year-old engineer, plans to morph a Boeing 737 he purchased on Facebook into a nuclear bunker and underground party site.
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The damaged aircraft is the latest addition to a massive underground nuclear shelter Billings has been constructing in his garden for years.
Billings purchased the Boeing 737 fuselage for £4,000 (~$5,364) and, with a crew's assistance, buried it in a 14-foot hole in his backyard in Derbyshire last month.
Although the bunker can double as a doomsday shelter, Billings said that the DIY project is more about fun than survival.
"It's primarily a fun thing to have and a place for us to have parties and relax but it could be made into a fallout shelter," Billings explained.
"The whole thing will be buried under concrete and soil. So the top will be around two-and-a-half feet underground. It will have electricity and water. But we are also putting solar panels on the top. And it has a borehole to a water supply," he said.
Billings added that the plane's toilet will remain functional and that the bunker will have its own ventilation system.
Engineer Says Plane Party Bunker is More About Fun Than Survival
"I'm still building this for fun at the moment. If I was a [doomsday] prepper, I'd be stopping everything else to get on with it," Billings said.
"I do these things because they're cool. I enjoy it. But this one's a cool thing that's got a purpose. It can be classed as functional."
Billings said that he could finish construction faster, but he doesn't "think anyone will bomb the Derbyshire Dales."
The crafty engineer is documenting the bunker's build on his YouTube channel, Tornado Dave. He expects to wrap construction on the bunker in February 2027.
"[My wife] Beth said it must be finished before our tenth wedding anniversary. I've got a very firm deadline to meet."
Billings is not the only person forming bunkers, although his may be one of the coolest designs.
Private bunker sales are rising globally, and the market for US bomb shelters is forecast to reach $175 million by 2030, according to the Associated Press, citing a market research report from BlueWeave Consulting.
