A British man spent over 1,000 hours transforming a jet engine into a camper trailer for family road trips. Take a look inside.

Melissa WileyJul 16, 2020, 23:06 IST

Courtesy Steve Jones

Steve Jones, a stay-at-home dad from Lancashire, England, converted an engine from a decommissioned VC10 jet plane into a camper trailer.
Jones estimates he spent 1,000 hours over the course of three months transforming the engine into a trailer that he, his wife, and two sons can take camping.
Jones told Business Insider he previously worked as a technician for the Royal Air Force.
Take a look inside the "VC10 Caravan Pod," which is 13 feet long, comes with two doors plus a skylight, and is already turning heads on the highway.

Stay-at-home dad Steve Jones transformed a hollowed-out jet engine into a camper trailer for his family in Lancashire, England.

Courtesy Steve Jones

A former technician for the Royal Air Force, Jones spent 1,000 hours between January and mid-March of this year on the build.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Jones told Business Insider he's been fixing up camper vans and camper trailers as a hobby for over a decade, but had never embarked on a project quite like this one.

Courtesy Steve Jones

In 2013, he learned through a friend that the Royal Air Force had decommissioned a VC10 jet plane, and the idea came to him to turn one of its engines into a trailer if they ever went up for sale.

Courtesy Steve Jones

In 2013, he learned through a friend that the Royal Air Force had decommissioned a VC10 jet plane, and the idea came to him to turn one of its engines into a trailer if they ever went up for sale.

This past September, an opportunity to buy one finally came about.

Courtesy Steve Jones

When Jones drove his purchase from the scrapyard to his barn, he noticed "a lot of finger pointing" from onlookers taken aback by the sight of 13-foot-long plane engine on the roads.

Courtesy Steve Jones

When Jones drove his purchase from the scrapyard to his barn, he noticed "a lot of finger pointing" from onlookers taken aback by the sight of 13-foot-long plane engine on the roads.

Steve spent a total of $5,025 (£4,000) renovating the trailer, and it was no easy feat.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Jones first had to gut all of the wires, clips, and pipe work.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Next, he flattened the bottom of the engine to fit on a chassis.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Then, he prepared the doors and windows.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Lining the interior of the engine with plywood was the most difficult part, Jones told Business Insider, due to its curved shape.

Courtesy Steve Jones

After covering the plywood with stretch carpet lining, he focused on making the trailer habitable.

Courtesy Steve Jones

He put in a mini kitchen with a sink, twin burners, and cabinets.

Courtesy Steve Jones

On the opposite wall, he put up a display shelf.

Courtesy Steve Jones

He also installed a lounge-dining area that converts into sleeping quarters.

Courtesy Steve Jones

The benches move together to form a double bed, and the seat backs flip up to become two twin beds.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Two doors plus a skylight open up to the outside.

Courtesy Steve Jones

The larger of the two doors allows for al fresco dining.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Jones and his family haven't taken the trailer out yet due to COVID-19, but he told Business Insider he looks forward to using it later this year.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Plus, Jones is still putting the finishing touches on it. He plans to paint the exterior so that it resembles the original jet: white on the top and gray on the bottom, with a blue line through the center.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Plus, Jones is still putting the finishing touches on it. He plans to paint the exterior so that it resembles the original jet: white on the top and gray on the bottom, with a blue line through the center.

Since appearing in an episode of "George Clarke's Amazing Spaces," a British home improvement TV show, Jones has received offers from interested buyers as high as $31,477 (£25,000) for his custom trailer.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Since appearing in an episode of "George Clarke's Amazing Spaces," a British home improvement TV show, Jones has received offers from interested buyers as high as $31,477 (£25,000) for his custom trailer.

Despite buyer interest, Jones told Business Insider that he doesn't plan to sell the VC10 Caravan Pod for at least a few years.

Courtesy Steve Jones

Here's a video walkthrough of the caravan pod and its features:

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A British man spent over 1,000 hours transforming a jet engine into a camper trailer for family road trips. Take a look inside.

Stay-at-home dad Steve Jones transformed a hollowed-out jet engine into a camper trailer for his family in Lancashire, England.

A former technician for the Royal Air Force, Jones spent 1,000 hours between January and mid-March of this year on the build.

Jones told Business Insider he's been fixing up camper vans and camper trailers as a hobby for over a decade, but had never embarked on a project quite like this one.

In 2013, he learned through a friend that the Royal Air Force had decommissioned a VC10 jet plane, and the idea came to him to turn one of its engines into a trailer if they ever went up for sale.

This past September, an opportunity to buy one finally came about.

When Jones drove his purchase from the scrapyard to his barn, he noticed "a lot of finger pointing" from onlookers taken aback by the sight of 13-foot-long plane engine on the roads.

Steve spent a total of $5,025 (£4,000) renovating the trailer, and it was no easy feat.

Jones first had to gut all of the wires, clips, and pipe work.

Next, he flattened the bottom of the engine to fit on a chassis.

Then, he prepared the doors and windows.

Lining the interior of the engine with plywood was the most difficult part, Jones told Business Insider, due to its curved shape.

After covering the plywood with stretch carpet lining, he focused on making the trailer habitable.

He put in a mini kitchen with a sink, twin burners, and cabinets.

On the opposite wall, he put up a display shelf.

He also installed a lounge-dining area that converts into sleeping quarters.

The benches move together to form a double bed, and the seat backs flip up to become two twin beds.

Two doors plus a skylight open up to the outside.

The larger of the two doors allows for al fresco dining.

Jones and his family haven't taken the trailer out yet due to COVID-19, but he told Business Insider he looks forward to using it later this year.

Plus, Jones is still putting the finishing touches on it. He plans to paint the exterior so that it resembles the original jet: white on the top and gray on the bottom, with a blue line through the center.

Since appearing in an episode of "George Clarke's Amazing Spaces," a British home improvement TV show, Jones has received offers from interested buyers as high as $31,477 (£25,000) for his custom trailer.

Despite buyer interest, Jones told Business Insider that he doesn't plan to sell the VC10 Caravan Pod for at least a few years.

Here's a video walkthrough of the caravan pod and its features: