Plane fuselage becomes furniture-maker's new project

Stuart Abbott uses parts from aircraft to make everything from glamping pods to clocks

A furniture-maker has taken on his biggest project yet after buying a plane fuselage.

Stuart Abbott, of Stu-Art Aviation, uses aircraft parts to make everything from glamping pods to clocks.

He has now bought an ATR 42 plane from Teesside's Willis Aviation and plans to convert the fuselage into a number of items.

Mr Abbott said: "I’ve bribed all my neighbours with boxes of chocolates to say Merry Christmas and there’ll be a bit of a shock when a 20-metre plane rocks up."

The decommissioned plane was shipped from Teesside's Willis Aviation to Mr Abbott's workshop in Belmont, County Durham, on 14 December.

The furniture-maker has been featured on TV making a glamping pod out of a helicopter for comedian Johnny Vegas.

But the 41-year-old said the ATR 42 will be his toughest project.

Hauliers picked up the ATR 42 from Willis Aviation

Mr Abbott bought the entire aircraft and plans to use its material for a number of projects.

He said: “I’ve already sold the cockpit of it – that’s going down to a company in Exeter who are going to turn it into a flight simulator to train up pilots on ATR 42s.

“Weirdly enough, the guy at the company has flown this aeroplane, so it’s gone full circle."

The plane will even be used by a fashion label for a backdrop at Paris Fashion Week.

"One of the windows is going to be taken out and it’ll have an iPad in it so people can order bits of clothes – which is mad," Mr Abbot said.

Part of the plane's skin has been converted into wall art and has been sold to an air traffic controller who spoke to the plane's crew while it was in use.

Mr Abbott said: "I like to create stuff nobody else is.

"There are a couple of other companies doing it, but nobody has done it longer than I have in the UK."