Wingless Gulfstream of Urbana

1968 Gulfstream II blimpcaptain (Atlas Obscura User)

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and this old saw was surely in play when Terry Land purchased an old Grumman Gulfstream II jet in late 2016 and had it towed to his yard, high in the hills of Urbana, Maryland.

The plane had been languishing at Hagerstown Airport for several years before Land bought it with the intention of “turning it into something unusual and cool.” After handing over $3,000 to its former owner and hauling it to his mountain hideaway, he’s hit the mark.

Land had the aircraft hauled along Interstates 81, 70, and 270 and along a series of winding mountain roads in Frederick County, Maryland in December of 2016 to become what is likely the most bizarre lawn ornament in the state of Maryland.

He reportedly chose the plane because the Gulfstream name has long been associated with elite flyers. Blake Shelton, Alex Rodriguez, Kim Kardashian, Jay-Z, Jack Nicklaus, Floyd Mayweather, Steven Spielberg, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, and Elon Musk are but a few of the cadre of famous celebrities who own or have owned private Gulfstream jets.

According to several local pilots, George H. W. Bush may have flown in this plane while campaigning against Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination in the 1980 presidential race. It is now living a new life as Land’s crash pad for reading or watching the tube.

Know Before You Go

Definitely worth a look if you're tooling around Urbana, but proceed with caution as you drive past as the airplane as it sits on a curve when approaching from either direction.