SkyPods are giving recycled airplanes a first-class makeover
This revolutionary new company, based in Hoyland, Barnsley takes retired aircraft and upcycles them into stunning modular living spaces for anything from a home office to a glamping pod.
The company was created by local businessmen who conceived the idea whilst shopping for plane parts for their other aviation-themed business, FlyMe.
SkyPods are built to a very high specification and use sections of aircraft fuselage to create the ultimate in recycled luxury. Launched at TV’s Grand Designs Live in 2019, the feedback from both the public and industry was immediately positive. Now they have a showroom where customers can book an appointment for a private viewing to see the pods and the possibilities for themselves.
Each SkyPod is unique, designed and made to the customers individual specifications. Co-founder Mike Hyde says “I love the fact we are giving these planes a second chance. They are incredible £100m feats of engineering that have brought so much pleasure and value to the people who flew in them over their 30 years of service, and to be able to upcycle them into beautiful spaces for people to use and enjoy once again is a real pleasure”.
It’s a product whose time has come.
Andy Hyde, brother of Mike and the other co-founder, believes that over the past two years of the pandemic, more people are now looking for imaginative workspace solutions for their home and that SkyPods can provide a perfect maintenance free, fully insulated and bespoke answer. The pods can also move home with their owners, unlike extensions and conservatories, and the fact that they are made from airplane grade materials means that rust and the British weather are not an issue.
Right next door to SkyPods is sister company FlyMe
FlyMe is home to the UK’s only purpose-built mock airport, complete with departure lounge, security equipment, Boeing 737-800 flight simulator, and another real-life Boeing aircraft used as a training cabin. It is the brainchild of the above-mentioned Andy Hyde and lawyer, Rebecca Hutchinson.
You’ve really got to see it to believe it.
Walk in through the doors and you enter a fully-fledged airport terminal. Many of the features found at FlyMe have been acquired from real airports across the UK including check-in desks, departure boards and even vending machines to name but a few. It’s all designed to give visitors a fully immersive experience, as close to visiting a real airport as possible.
So, what’s it all about?
Andy and Rebecca wanted to develop a range of flight related products and services, including hands-on training courses for would be pilots and cabin crew, help for individuals wanting to overcome their fear of flying or the stress of the airport environment and flight simulator gift experiences for enthusiasts wanting to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. And during the pandemic, FlyMe came to the rescue of commercial and private pilots who suddenly found themselves grounded but still needing to keep their skills up to date.
Both SkyPods and FlyMe are corporate members of the Society, showing their true Yorkshire credentials. They are businesses created by proud Yorkshire men and women who prove that ambition, innovation and ingenuity are alive and well in God’s own Country.
If you’d like us to feature your business or organisation here, write to contact@theyorkshiresociety.org