A Guy Salvaged One Of Howard Hughes’ Old Planes – And Transformed It Into The Coolest Houseboat Ever

On a sad day in 1939, famed aviator Howard Hughes took his cherished Boeing 307 Stratoliner for its final flight. But Hughes’ so-called Flying Penthouse wasn’t abandoned to the scrapyard. It fell into the hands of Kenneth London, who set about making some drastic changes to the craft. First, he tore off the wings... He then made it watertight... Finally, he added a rudder... Yep, London turned the old liner into a working houseboat, and the results are absolutely incredible! 

But where did it all start for the Flying Penthouse? With Hughes’ passion for airplanes, of course. The billionaire had his fingers in many pies during his lifetime, though, whether it was through making movies or concocting new inventions. And underlying everything was the man’s unusual behavior, which rumors have suggested was fueled by his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

As a teenager, Hughes had developed a fierce passion for both aviation and film. It was this latter enthusiasm that most enthralled him in early adulthood, though, and he set off for Hollywood with his immense inheritance in tow. He wasted no time in investing his riches into the movie industry.

Hughes pumped nearly $4 million into making a war film called Hell’s Angels, which was then the most expensive movie ever made. He went through three separate directors during production, before eventually taking the helm himself. It seems he was the right man for the job, though. The movie was a massive hit and rocketed Hughes into the Tinseltown elite.

Hughes later purchased RKO Pictures, which solidified his place as one of the most influential men in Hollywood. But he couldn’t stay at the top forever. And given his erratic personality, it’s hardly a surprise that he soon tired of the movies. In 1955 he sold RKO, allowing him to wholeheartedly concentrate on his other major passion.