On February 27th, a Boeing 727 is set to roll down a British motorway - at least part of it. The partially disassembled, no-longer-airworthy 727 is being repurposed to become a work and event space on the outskirts of Bristol in England. This is a story that we've covered since the aircraft was acquired; let's find out what the latest is on this ambitious project.

727 PytchAir
The Boeing 727's move was delayed due to the rainy weather in the area, contributing to the overly soft ground surrounding the aircraft's home at the Cotswold airport. This prevented the aircraft from being moved with heavy equipment. Photo: Johnny Palmer | PytchAir

Built in the 1960s, the Boeing 727 has spent its later years sitting in storage - most recently at Cotswold Airport. The jet was acquired by Bristol entrepreneur, property investor, and activist Johnny Palmer.

Palmer will use the aircraft's fuselage as a 'useful space' for his media company PYTCH. A major step will take place less than two weeks from now when the stripped aircraft will be transported to its new home, 35 miles down the road.

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The plan on February 27th

Delayed by several weeks due to rains and the resulting soft ground at the airport, Palmer has set a new date for moving the 727 to its new home. A press release obtained by Simple Flying shows the plan for the move.

Transportation will occur by road via the motorways M5 and M4, as well as A4174, before “landing” at PYTCH HQ. The transport of the 40m+ aircraft fuselage will involve a police escort.

This will undoubtedly cause some road disruption but will indeed be a visual spectacle and quite a sight to see for other motorists and local residents. Interested in catching a glimpse of this rare sight? The map below shows the route plan:

The transportation route set out for the 727's move. Photo: Google Maps

Here are more specifics for the big day:

The aircraft will depart Cotswold Airport at 09:00 on Saturday, February 27th.

Dependent on traffic conditions, no firm arrival time has been set for the aircraft. However, its destination and new home will be at PYTCH HQ, 21 Bonville Road, BS4 5QH.

Crane operations to get PYTCHAir into position will take place the next morning, 10:00 on Sunday, February 28th, at PYTCH HQ.

Palmer has discussed in-depth the journey and future plan of the aircraft on his YouTube channel. Below is the latest chapter of the story:

The ethos behind the move

Re-purposing the old Boeing 727 is intended to be a sustainable “circular economy” way of developing a more useful space for Palmer's media company PYTCH. Originally costing over £40 million ($54.5 million), it is the only such use of this aircraft type in Europe.

“Our virtual events studios have been getting busy since covid and we need more space at PYTCH.  So rather than do resource and carbon intensive construction we decided to re-purpose the icon of unsustainable hyper-consumption - the airliner private jet.   And also have a lot of fun along the way” -Johnny Palmer, Founder, PYTCH

727 PytchAir
A photo of the aircraft while it was still airworthy. Photo: Johnny Palmer | PytchAir

The old aircraft will be the centerpiece of Palmer’s business estate on Bonville Road in Bristol, while the fuselage itself will subsequently become an iconic piece of artwork. The region is already famous due to its creative collaborations with local street artists.

If you lived in the area, would you leave your house or apartment to catch a sight of the aircraft being moved? Let us know in the comments.