Matthew-

We’ve been down this road before. The plane you show is not an Auster, nor a Taylorcraft. It's a Brumley Airhome.

Quote
“Affectionately known as 'the Gyppo', the Brumley Airhome was designed and built in Great Britain in the late 1940's and early 1950's as a solution to the housing shortage that existed after WW2, due high property taxes levied upon homeowners.

The pilot/homeowner had all the conveniences of home stashed in the Brumley's cockpit/apartment area. The "Gyppo" had a galley, a small head w/ a shower arrangement and a sleeper sofa. The radio doubled as a navigation device as well a 'tube'(radio) so the pilot/homeowner could tune into his/her favourite BBC programming on Saturday night.

The pilot/homeowner could live comfortably at a local airport or an abandoned WW2 airbase. When the tax gents would come snooping the pilot/homeowner could fly to a remote spot on the Moors and reside there until such time as the tax gents moved on.

The Brumley "Gyppo" was relatively popular until the mid-fifties when the British government revised property tax laws and began taxing aircraft at a higher rate than houses. The company collapsed with weeks of enactment the new property tax laws. However, today, because of the present housing/taxing situation the U.S. there is interest in reviving the concept.

The Brumley "Gyppo" Airhome - a truly unique home/aircraft.”


-East Stropfordshire Bi-weekly Aviation and Farm News - August. 2009
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