Now THAT'S a heli-pad! Farmer splashes out £23,000 to transform Falklands helicopter into £35-a-night Airbnb with TV, fridge and novelty cockpit

  • Farmer William Roughton, 40, spent £23,00 turning military vehicle into a unique Airbnb flat
  • He runs park at former RAF base in Lincolnshire and is renting out the helicopter for £35 per night
  • It comes with a 32ins television, futon sofa-bed and a novelty cockpit which mimics real light and sounds 

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A farmer has splashed out a head-spinning £23,000 to transform a former Falklands military helicopter into a luxury holiday let.

William Roughton spent six weeks converting the decommissioned aircraft into a unique living space - complete with a novelty cockpit with flashing lights and replicates engine noises.

Mr Roughton, a stepfather of two, bought the £19,000 Westland Lynx helicopter 'on a whim' five months ago after spotting an advert for it on Google.

Farmer Will Roughton has spent £23,000 transforming a Westland Lynx helicopter, pictured, into a £35-per-night Airbnb for flying enthusiasts. The vehicle came into service with the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and were used in combat operations during the Falklands War in 1982

Farmer Will Roughton has spent £23,000 transforming a Westland Lynx helicopter, pictured, into a £35-per-night Airbnb for flying enthusiasts. The vehicle came into service with the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and were used in combat operations during the Falklands War in 1982

Mr Roughton, pictured with friend Diana Fryer who helped him transform the vehicle into a unique holiday home, paid £19,000 for the helicopter after seeing it advertised on Google, before splashing out an extra £4,000 on upgrading it

Mr Roughton, pictured with friend Diana Fryer who helped him transform the vehicle into a unique holiday home, paid £19,000 for the helicopter after seeing it advertised on Google, before splashing out an extra £4,000 on upgrading it

The interior of the vehicle fits a double bed along with a table, kettle and television for a comfortable evening in

The interior of the vehicle fits a double bed along with a table, kettle and television for a comfortable evening in

The headboard of the bed is not something tourists will see every day, featuring the back of the seats of the 'novelty' cockpit

The headboard of the bed is not something tourists will see every day, featuring the back of the seats of the 'novelty' cockpit

The cockpit, pictured, still lights up and mimics the real noises of the vehicle to give tourists staying inside it the proper experience of the helicopter

The cockpit, pictured, still lights up and mimics the real noises of the vehicle to give tourists staying inside it the proper experience of the helicopter

He then forked out an extra £4,000 transforming the space, along with help from friends Josh French and Diana Fryer, into an Airbnb perfect for holidaymakers with a passion for heights.

The interior is kitted out with a double futon, a 32-inch flat screen TV, underfloor heating, a coffee table and a mini fridge.

But the star of the show is the cockpit 'passengers' can climb into that's been wired to replicate the sights and sounds from when it was operational.

The helicopter costs £35 a night to stay in, but visitors to the site in Friskney, Lincolnshire, will have to splash out a bit more to spend a penny as toilets have yet to be fitted in the chopper's fuselage.

This means it can only be booked by customers already staying in one of Mr Roughton's B&B rooms which start at £55 a night.

The helicopter is based at a former RAF base in Lincolnshire which the farmer bought for £250,000 in 2014 and runs as a wider holiday park for military enthusiasts

The helicopter is based at a former RAF base in Lincolnshire which the farmer bought for £250,000 in 2014 and runs as a wider holiday park for military enthusiasts

Pictured: work being done on the helicopter to remove some of its wiring and components to transform it into a room
The helicopter is pictured here during the latter stages of the renovations to turn it into a home

Mr Roughton was also helped by friend Josh French, left, in removing some of the components and wiring from the vehicle to enable it to be turned into a proper room, right

The vehicle, pictured, does not have access to a toilet though so only customers who book accommodation at the site itself are able to use it

The vehicle, pictured, does not have access to a toilet though so only customers who book accommodation at the site itself are able to use it

The helicopter is pictured during the work to turn it into a hotel room
The helicopter is pictured here looking a far cry from when it was kitted out with electronics

Pictured left and right is the main hold of the helicopter during the work to transform it into a unique hotel room

FROM THE FALKLANDS TO THE GULF: HOW THE LYNX PROVED ITS WORTH IN BRITISH CONFLICTS 

The Westland Lynx was a military helicopter produced by Westland Helicopters at its base in Yeovil beginning in the 1970s.

It was used by the navies and air forces of several countries but served in the Royal Navy and Army during the Falklands War in 1982.

They were used primarily to protect British ships from submarines and also fired upon Argentinian vessels such as the patrol boat Alferez Sobral, which was badly damaged by missile fire in May of that year.

The Lynx was also used during the first Gulf War in 1991 in a variety of roles, from attacking Iraqi ships to transporting troops and for reconnaissance. 

The Lynx, pictured, was used by the Royal Navy and Army from the late 1970s until 2018, serving in the Falklands, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars

The Lynx, pictured, was used by the Royal Navy and Army from the late 1970s until 2018, serving in the Falklands, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars

The Army and Navy would continue to fly the Lynx on missions in conflicts for the next two decades, with the vehicle having a prominent role in conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq before being retired in 2018.

A Lynx was also brought down in County Armagh in Northern Ireland in 1994 while attempting to land at a base, in what was described as the IRA's most successful attack on a helicopter, even though the pilot survived. 

They were crewed by a maximum of three people and could carry eight troops while being powered by two Rolls Royce turboshaft 1,120hp engines.

The Lynx is also responsible for the fastest helicopter speed ever recorded after a specially modified model reached 249mph in 1986. 

They typically carried two torpedoes, two depth charges or two Sea Skua missiles, alongside two 20mm cannons, two 70mm rocket pods and eight anti-tank missiles.  

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Mr Roughton from Skegness, said: 'I live by the Only Fools and Horses character Del Boy's motto of 'he who dares wins', so finding myself in this new line of work was blind faith.

'The helicopter was extremely difficult as it was made of aluminium, rounded walls, and old cables and had pipes everywhere.

'It was definitely a new challenge learning how to do it all, but we're really thrilled - if not surprised - that we've managed to turn a helicopter into what it is today.'

Mr Roughton, 40, has been farming half his life but says he got the 'offer of a lifetime' when the Ministry of Defence proposed he save the RAF Wainfleet bombing range which was surrounded by his land.

The broccoli and kale farmer snapped up the half-acre site in 2014 for £250,000 and decided to provide quirky accommodation befitting the location's military background.

Mr Roughton, pictured in the cockpit, said it was a huge challenge to transform the helicopter because of the rounded walls and wiring but he was 'thrilled' with the success

Mr Roughton, pictured in the cockpit, said it was a huge challenge to transform the helicopter because of the rounded walls and wiring but he was 'thrilled' with the success

When the futon bed is rolled up the hold has much more space to enjoy, with a 32ins television, pictured, providing entertainment

When the futon bed is rolled up the hold has much more space to enjoy, with a 32ins television, pictured, providing entertainment

The futon, pictured, means guests can use the hold as either a lounge or bedroom, with the helicopter costing just £35 per night

The futon, pictured, means guests can use the hold as either a lounge or bedroom, with the helicopter costing just £35 per night

Mr Roughton, pictured on the helicopter, said he had already booked it out for three nights without even advertising it 

Mr Roughton, pictured on the helicopter, said he had already booked it out for three nights without even advertising it 

The former RAF airbase was once the training ground of the Dambusters in WWII, its control tower has since been transformed into four B&Bs that Mr Roughton has owned since 2017.

He said: 'It's certainly been interesting, from growing vegetables every day to this.

'I enjoy being creative so that's why after buying the abandoned base I chose to work with just Josh and Diane and do all of the work ourselves.

'Between three people we've done all of the renovations ourselves, so it's been a really steep learning curve but it's been great.

'Unfortunately there are zero similarities between being a farmer and letting out accommodation, dealing with customers and what not. You don't tend to have vegetables answering back.

'I'm quite excited as since we've finished somebody has already booked three nights in the helicopter and we've not even advertised it yet.' 

The farmer, pictured, said the work was a steep learning curve and very different from his day job growing vegetables

The farmer, pictured, said the work was a steep learning curve and very different from his day job growing vegetables

The site was once an RAF bombing range and Mr Roughton said the MoD suggested he buy it because it was surrounded by his existing farmland

The site was once an RAF bombing range and Mr Roughton said the MoD suggested he buy it because it was surrounded by his existing farmland

Pictured: The control tower at the former base which now serves as Mr Roughton's holiday park

Pictured: The control tower at the former base which now serves as Mr Roughton's holiday park

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