‘People say Britain doesn’t build interesting things anymore. I want to prove that wrong’
Artist’s impression of ‘Ground Force’, the second plane proposed to ‘land’ in Brislington, brought by businessman Johnny Palmer(Image: PytchAir)
A man who bought a huge private jet and installed it as a venue in South Bristol has started work on doing it again – this time creating what he claims will be ‘Bristol’s second most iconic structure’.
The foundations of what will be a giant Boeing 727 plane, mounted on top of repurposed shipping containers have begun to be laid at a unit at the Skyline Park industrial estate in Broomhill, Brislington.
Mr Palmer successfully persuaded council officers to grant permission for the installation of the 727 fuselage last October, with the project prompting a diverse opinion locally – some residents said they welcomed an innovative and quirky feature, and others said the new structure would be out of place.
Last week, councillors gave their backing to Mr Palmer’s plans to hold events in the space – up to four big raves a year – and work is well underway now to install the second plane, named ‘Ground Force’, higher and bigger than the first.
Mr Palmer said the second installation will be ‘bigger, taller and far more ambitious’.
“People think of Bristol and picture the Clifton Suspension Bridge. I want them to think of Ground Force next,” he said.
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“This is going to be Bristol’s second most iconic structure. The new aircraft will sit high above the industrial estate and form part of a mixed-use destination including hospitality, events, workspace and wellness facilities,” he said.
Mr Palmer’s first plane had a long and quirky history and it is claimed to have been a private jet used by Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar at one point.
The operation to bring it on a low loader from Kemble in Gloucestershire to Bristol stopped traffic along the route, and now Mr Palmer has hinted the next plane also comes with ‘an extraordinary backstory’.
Work has begun on a plan to install a second jet plane in Brislington(Image: PytchAir)
“We’ve been digging into the history of this aircraft and there are some unbelievable stories — who owned it, where it’s been, what it was involved in,” he said. “I can’t say too much yet, but once it lands, there are some fantastically entertaining stories to tell,” he added.
He said he hoped installing a second plane, which would be a venue, office space and create a place to go for people in the area, would boost the industrial estate.
“Skyline Park is an ageing industrial estate and this is exactly the right place for something extraordinary,” he said. “The estate is dull, tired and full of asbestos. Not much is happening there. That makes it the perfect place for a project like this. We proved it with the first aircraft — now we’re doing it properly, bigger and better,” he added.
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“Cities are remembered for their landmarks. Bristol has the bridge and the coloured houses — both brilliant — but I think we can do better. I love the idea of Bristol becoming known globally as the city with airliners on shipping containers,” he added.
The businessman rejected criticism that the second plane was little more than a stunt, and said his goal was to ‘create something memorable, commercially successful and culturally important’.
“Life is short. We’re all going to be dead soon,” he said. “So I ask myself: do I want to spend my time with a couple of giant airliners on an industrial estate? The answer is absolutely yes,” he added.
Johnny Palmer in front of his plane(Image: SWNS)
“People say Britain doesn’t build interesting things anymore. I want to prove that wrong. I want young engineers, creatives and entrepreneurs to look at this and think — maybe I can do something bold too,” he said.
“If you try to do anything unusual in Britain, someone will call it stupid. That’s fine. I’d rather be criticised for building something exciting than praised for doing nothing,” he added.