- Asmelash Zeferu was 1cm too short to train to be a pilot
- He used eBooks and YouTube tutorials to teach him how to build a plane
- He got spare parts in a market in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
- His hope is to pilot the one-passenger plane 10 metres above ground
- It can reach 145 kilometres per hour, but has no emergency features
It sounds like a tall order but Asmelash Zeferu did not want to let being too short stop him from flying a plane.
This weekend, the intrepid 35-year-old, plans to take his handcrafted K-570 light aeroplane to the air near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and marry his fiancé Seble Bekele when he lands.
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.
Homemade: Asmelash Zeferu, 35, next to the plane he has built by hand. He was rejected from aviation school because he was too short but he does not want to let that stop him from his dream of flying
Flight of fancy: Asmelash had an aborted attempt earlier this year but he is hoping that his K-570 will deliver him to his wedding
Workshop: Asmelash opted to model his plane on one used by trainee pilots in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s
It is the culmination of a journey he 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.
Analysis: It took countless hours of self-study for Asmelash to get to grips with some of the finer points of aviation technology which he then put into practice. He hopes that the hard work will pay off
Aviation-mad: Some items were salvaged, others bought second hand from the Merkato market in Addis Ababa, but all seemed to fit together in unison
Preparation: The 8.5 meter wing was crafted from timber imported from Australia, with each wooden panel hand-sculpted. The hope is that it will all work when he tries to get it off the ground
Zeferu opted to model his plane on one used by trainee pilots in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s.
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.
Adapted: 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
Five months ago, he failed to take-off in his machine. He taxied to a runway 40 kilometers from the capital but a broken propeller made from laminated wood, ended his chances.
On November 28, Zeferu will return to the same air field and rev his newly-modified machine.
Taking off at 90 mph, he will aim to reach an altitude of 10 meters which is not no mean feat considering he has 'no parachute or anything to protect me.'
'To fly an aircraft is not a big deal,' he explains.
'The greatest danger will be in landing.'
That will involve slowing the plane down from its cruising speed of 70 mph to 45 mph, then hoping the wheelbase -- taken from a Suzuki motorcycle -- holds out.
Second time around: Although Asmelash failed to make it off the ground last time he tried, he hopes this time that he will be able to reach an altitude of 10m, which will require a land speed of 90mph
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?''
He's 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: Daily mail
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