A Down-home Flying Machine!

A view of the down-home flying machine in Benoit, Mississippi.

January 18, 2013

The “Mighty Mississippi Bicycle Adventure” was one of my favorite supported cycling tours. In July 1997, I had the opportunity to ride 1,600 miles down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis, Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana. Along with twenty other cyclists, I pedaled through sleepy river towns, and bustling cities; spun along locks, bluffs and levees; and biked by fertile farmland, cow filled pastures, cotton fields and vast plantations. It was a memorable three weeks cycling along Mark Twain’s river of dreams.   

One day I had the unique experience of riding with Jay, a pastor from Frankfort, Kentucky. Jay, referred to as the “pedaling pastor,” was riding to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. He rode a vintage ten-speed bike held together by dirt and rust, which caused him to shake, rattle and roll down the road. The two-wheel relic needed a prayer, or some divine intervention! 

 On our eighty-mile day from Clarksdale to Greenville, Mississippi, we rolled through steamy delta countryside by an occasional trailer scattered among cotton fields, soybeans and catfish farms. At mile sixty, we entered the small town of Benoit. While talking with the locals, Jay heard about a woman who lived in a 727- airplane fuselage. According to the stories flying around town, she purchased the plane from a scrap yard for two thousand dollars and then for a mere four grand had it towed to her property on an oxbow lake. Since it was only a couple of miles away, we had to check it out!   

With directions in hand, we rolled out of the gas station and turned onto a dirt road. We were told to ride down the road until we came to a levee. The hot dusty road led us by barns and dry fields scattered with an occasional old cud chewer reminiscing about its former cow tipping days. After passing the levee, we cycled through a refreshing green forest of pine trees. I welcomed the cool shade as we rode by house after house set back in along the lakeshore.

We cruised around several minutes looking for the grounded aircraft. Where was the down-home flying machine we were told about? With no success and no one around to ask, I was wondering if we had the right lake or even the right state. Considering the odds of having an airplane fuselage in ones neighborhood, you would think it would be easy to find. Finally, I heard Jay shout, “Da plane, da plane.”

We found the long awaited dream house hovering by the water. Propped up on metal and concrete, the white fuselage had a carport on each side that simulated wings. The tail less wonder was huge and had enough windows in it to gear up a “peeping Tom” into overdrive. We had a great time posing with the 727 but with no one home to question we could only wonder what was lurking inside. Maybe wingback chairs with color-coordinated seatbelts and floating devices decorated the dive.

 Soon, it was time for our layover to end. Cleared for takeoff we taxied onto a runway made up of decorative lighting and hit the road. What a great find in rural Mississippi!  So the next time you’re in the market for a new home, think outside the box and see if you can land yourself a 727. Just think of the unique experience you’ll have living in an airliner. The sky’s the limit!

While writing this blog I was curious to see if there were any stories online about the plane. Here is what I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB8eLH72-es

Tailwinds, 

Kathy 

Another view of the tailess wonder. (The back of the plane where the tail has been removed)