Flight instructor Jon Kotwicki turned a 1956 Douglas DC-6 cargo plane into a fully functional two-bedroom apartment on his 115-acre property in Big Lake, Alaska. The 108-foot-long aircraft now serves as an Airbnb rental and housing for students at his FLY8MA flight school.
Finding the Right Plane
Kotwicki spent six months calling around until he finally found a DC-6 available for purchase in Fairbanks. The piston-powered DC-6 had spent its career carrying freight and fuel to remote villages in Alaska before retiring from flight.
Kotwicki and his girlfriend Stephanie Blanchard made the five-hour drive north to Fairbanks, then spent four days disassembling the aircraft and loading its parts onto trailers. The 117-foot-wide aircraft had to be carefully dismantled for transport back to Big Lake.
The Biggest Challenge: Insulation
Kotwicki had to figure out how to insulate the aluminum plane in Alaska’s extreme environment, where temperatures can drop to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit. He spent the winter testing different methods and watching YouTube videos about building science.
Fiberglass didn’t work because it couldn’t seal tight around the plane’s ribs and rivets, allowing moisture to condense and create mold. Kotwicki ultimately used a combination of spray foam, Reflectix insulation, and PVC trim to cover the plane’s curved aluminum structure…