NEWS COPY – WITH PICTURES – by Izzy Ferris
At a steady 30mph it was hardly flying down the road but this was the body of a JUMBO jet on the move.
The huge fuselage of an old 747 was so big it was cut in two to make the 55-mile journey through the West Country.
It is being converted into a unique studio for interior design student at a university.
The two halves were loaded onto specialised transporters at Cotswold Airport at Kemble, Glos and slowly set off on the trip to Hereford at 7am pm Saturday.
Each had an overall length of 41.66 metres (137ft), a width of 6.55 metres (22ft) and height of 4.95 metres (16ft 3ins) and a gross weight of 60 tonnes.
The load headed onto the A419 past Swindon where it took up the entire width of the dual carriageway before traveling along the M4 and then onto the M5.
The plane will be put back together in an interior design studio project involving the Nottingham-based National Design Academy and Staffordshire University.
Helen Keighley, director of quality and business at the academy, said the old plane had deliberately been chosen for a venue for the students to work in because it would provide a challenging and creative environment for them.
She said: “It’s much cheaper than putting up a building. We are really going to prepare them for the world of work.
“They’re not going to sit in a lecture theatre, they’re going to be totally in the design practice.
“They will work there for 45 weeks a year and learn how to design venues.”
Police escorted the load with using volunteer officers on rest days, paid for by the haulier at no cost to the public.
The public are also being warned that there will be an identical move next Saturday February 21.
ENDS
