LUBBOCK, Texas — Rich Puryear is no stranger to custom car creations, but nothing is quite like this “plane truck.”
Puryear has worked at Southwest Airlines for 26 years and he said the plane truck started with a call from his friend Kelly.
“He said hey there is this plane-truck at an auction in North Carolina you’ve got to check it out,” Puryear said. “I like weird vehicles like that so I looked it up and put a bid on it and I didn’t think I would get it. “
He in fact did get it, flying to North Carolina with plans to drive it back to Texas.
“The guy at the auction says where the truck and trailer is. I said I am going to drive it back. He said you are crazy this thing has been sitting for like two years,” Puryear said. “So, I put new tires on it, changed the oil and drove it home.”
Once he got back to work, renovating the plane truck began.
“I’ve added like half of the tail [that] was missing. I put a lot of the lighting on it, the tail was wrapped it’s my tribute to all the armed services past and present. I’m working on the interior right now and then I’m going to paint it eventually so. Plenty of work to do,” Puryear said.
He enjoys putting in the work on this custom creation, which is a 1974 Cessna 421 airplane, with a 2005 GMC pickup truck.
His goal is to add a 54′ Chevy front end giving it more of a classic look. When this airplane truck is on the road it gets plenty of stares.
“They just can’t believe it. It’s so strange,” Puryear said. “It’s funny if I can put a smile on somebodies face by driving this crazy contraption around, I love it. I like to share the story it’s just fun. Little kids up to little old ladies, I mean everybody just has a smile on their face and I like that!”
The plane truck will be at the South Plains Air Show on Saturday. If you take pictures be sure to post them on social media using the hashtag #planetruck.
To book special appearances by the Plane Truck contact Rich 806-787-0257.