Southwest Airlines pilot turns catering truck into tiny home which can be raised 17 feet in the air

A Southwest Airlines pilot bought a catering truck for $3,300 and spent seven months converting it into a small mobile home.

Mark Pankey, a former US Air Force pilot from Louisiana, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2016 after 20 years of service.

He has been a commercial pilot for Southwest Airlines for the past seven years. He is experienced with van life, having lived in a van when he first joined the company.

“When I first got hired at the airline, I bought a little lot of land in a town called Crested Butte in Colorado,” the Southwest Airline pilot told Insider, adding that he wanted to create a home like a hangar, buy an airplane, and fly to work.

During that time, he lived in an apartment near his lot and traveled to Denver and Los Angeles airports for flights.

He decided to buy and renovate a van to save on hotel costs, which were around $800 a month.

He parked his van at airport lots and slept in it while working, which he did for several years.

When the pandemic caused the aviation industry to halt, Mark considered it an opportunity to rethink his lifestyle and ambitions.

During that period, pilots were required to take unpaid leave, prompting Mark to delay his house-building plans.

“If COVID-19 can shut down the world, maybe it’s not a good idea to go into debt right now and build a big old house,” Mark said.

He enjoyed renovating his van and decided to do it again with a larger project in mind.

He saw box trucks at work and thought living in or converting one would be cool.

Later, when he shared this idea with a fellow pilot, they informed him about an auction of such trucks in Seattle.

Mark purchased a Southwest Airlines catering truck for $3,300 at an auction, confirmed by Insider through online records.

The truck features a scissor lift that raises the cargo area to plane level, facilitating the loading of food and drinks onto the aircraft.

“It actually spent a lot of time in Las Vegas, and then they moved it up to Seattle,” he said. “It’s about 20 years old.”

The truck, originally based in Las Vegas and now in Seattle, is approximately 20 years old and arrived nearly empty, requiring Mark to clear out some shelves before beginning his renovation project.

The Southwest Airline pilot started by redesigning the truck’s flat roof into a sloped one using welded metal beams.

He extended one side of the roof by two feet to create more height and space. His goal was to collect rainwater on one side of the roof.

Mark mentioned that a sloped roof would naturally angle any solar panels he installed toward the sun.

He also observed that the original fiberglass roof of the truck was quite thin and felt flimsy.

Mark spent a week insulating the truck’s interior with spray foam, finding great relief when he finished.

The insulation kept the inside warm and significantly reduced noise, he noted.

The Southwest Airline pilot explained that it was so quiet inside that outside noise couldn’t be heard even when using power tools.

The pilot built his tiny home outside his Colorado apartment complex, handling everything from floors to cabinets.

While some neighbors had initial concerns about the project’s location, Mark said most were supportive and visited daily to cheer him on.

He enjoyed showing them inside the home when they expressed interest.

Mark transformed the truck’s white exterior to grey, reminiscent of the fighter planes he piloted in the Air Force.

He decorated it with painted rivets to mimic an airplane’s look. He spray-painted a bird motif on the hood, inspired by a vehicle from the 1977 film “Smokey and the Bandit.”

The Southwest Airline pilot started renovating his truck in April 2020 and completed it by November, naming it “SnakPak.”

He estimates the total cost, including the truck purchase, to be between $30,000 and $35,000.

The truck still features its original airline catering banner with the slogan “The snacks are on me.”

Marked hoped to keep the truck’s banner, and his friends thought it suited him well as a Southwest Airline pilot.

Although he had to remove the company’s name and logo, he was allowed to keep the banner.

The scissor lift on the truck still works and can reach 17 feet, though Mark rarely raises it that high. He usually lifts it about five or six feet to level it with the front deck for easier access.

Raising it provides great views but requires caution to avoid stepping off the edge. To remind himself, Mark hangs an orange lanyard flag that says, “Remove before flight.”

The truck’s box section is 14 feet long, with the loft and storage cabinets at one end and the kitchen countertop in the middle.

Mark sleeps in the loft, which fits a queen-sized mattress. He uses a foldable, telescoping ladder to reach the loft but wishes he had built a fixed ladder instead.

The other end of the truck’s box contains the composting toilet and shower cubicle.

Mark chose a tempered glass corner-style shower for durability, which has held up well during travel.

To secure his items on the road, he uses wires and magnets, gluing magnets to kitchenware and using heavy-duty cords to keep larger items like jars and containers in place.

Mark transformed the outdoor deck with artificial turf to create a backyard feel. It includes a small table for meals and space for his grill and stove.

At the back of the truck, there’s an outdoor showerhead and a small platform.

Decorative logs from a timber mill Mark visited cover the truck’s back.

He powers the truck with solar panels on the roof and uses a water tank that can be filled with rainwater or at truck stops.

Mark collects rainwater when possible or fills a water bladder if it doesn’t rain.

The truck has a plug for connecting to utilities at campgrounds or RV parks.

Mark decorated the sides of his aircraft catering truck with old downhill skis and snowboards cut to fit around the windows.

He has lived full-time in the converted truck for over two years, having sold his apartment and land in Colorado during this period.

Mark uses his Toyota Tacoma pickup, towed by the aircraft catering truck, to run town errands.

Reflecting on his experience, Mark found transitioning to a tiny home living relatively smooth, having lived in a van previously.

Mark noted that moving from the cramped van to the spacious truck was a significant change.

He acknowledged the potential stress of such a lifestyle shift, mentioning that leaving a traditional home for a full-time mobile living can be anxiety-inducing.

However, he reassured himself that he was ready for the challenge, embracing the adventure enthusiastically and determined to make it work.

Mark advises prospective lifestyle changers to assess what fits their lifestyle and capabilities.

He suggests considering whether full-time living is the goal, whether a van or a larger vehicle is preferable, and whether a larger vehicle will serve as the primary mode of transportation.

Mark highlights that smaller RVs without a separate vehicle for errands risk losing their campsite when they need to leave for supplies.

Mark suggests that those considering similar projects should evaluate their building skills.

He advises thinking about whether you can fix problems yourself or if you’ll need to hire someone.

Having constructed his own truck, Mark understands its layout well and can handle issues as they arise.

“That’s the big difference between buying somebody else’s creation and building your own,” Mark said.

Here’s a video of the “SnakPak,” a tiny home made from an airplane catering truck built by Mark Pankey, a Southwest Airline pilot: