In this most amazing and touching story, an Ethiopian man has made history by building his own plane after he was rejected and told he cannot be a pilot because of his height.
Asmelash started his dreams of flying a plane 15-years ago
It sounds like a fiction, but Asmelash Zeferu has made history in his own way after he was told that his height will not allow him attain his dream of becoming a pilot. He was rejected for being too short.
he planned and worked this out through rigorous study
That was all Zeferu needed to inspire himself to the glory that has come his way. 35-year-old who built a handcrafted K-570 light aeroplane plans to fly it near the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa and marry his fiancé Seble Bekele when he lands.
finishing work on his plane
Remarkably, he has never flown before and he hopes the attempt will be more successful than five months ago when a broken propeller thwarted his dream. Zefuru's journey began 15 years ago when he tried to enrol at the Dire Dawa branch of the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy. He was rejected, because at 1m 70cm (5ft 7ins) he was 1cm too short.
But he didn't let that stop him.
'I decided to build my own aircraft if I couldn't be a pilot. Then I'd be able to fly high in the sky,' he told CNN.
He set about devouring aviation manuals and YouTube tutorials through which he learnt every aspect of aircraft manufacture. Zeferu opted to model his plane on one used by trainee pilots in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s.
his own genius amazed him
Some items were salvaged, others bought second hand from the Merkato market in Addis Ababa. The 8.5 meter wing was crafted from timber imported from Australia, with each wooden panel hand-sculpted.
The design called for a Ford engine, but he couldn't get one cheap so he instead opted for a four cylinder, 40 horsepower model stripped from a Volkswagen Beetle. Zeferu has made some modifications after receiving advice from fellow flight enthusiast Rene Bubberman, chairman of the NVAV, the Dutch Experimental Aircraft Association.
'We gave him some well-meant advice about his prop and especially about test flying,' says Bubberman. '[His project] deserves a lot of respect... [it] truly breathes the spirit of the early aeroplane pioneers and his enthusiasm is contagious,' he told CNN.
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In preparation, Zeferu says he has used YouTube flight simulators. Despite support from his family, he says: 'the biggest challenge in building my aircraft was the people around me... people calling me mad. People were asking 'How can you build an aircraft in Ethiopia? In Africa?''
Zeferu is emphatic about his chances this time around: 'I am very sure that I will fly.'
He hopes a flight school will accept him in the near future so he can train as a commercial pilot.
And his long-term goal is go even higher.
'My dream is to become an aerospace engineer at NASA. And I will be,' he says.
source: DailymailUK
