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Sheng Li / Reuters
Ding Shilu, an automobile mechanic, drives his self-made aircraft for a test-flight on the outskirts of Shenyang, Liaoning province, China on Feb. 25. The aircraft, which weighs about 287 lbs and is made of recycled materials including three motorbike engines and plastic cloth, cost about 2600 yuan ($395), local media reported.
Sheng Li / Reuters
Ding Shilu carries out a test-flight for his self-made aircraft on Feb. 25.
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looks like a decent plain for only $400
a few criticizes thou for the concern of safety
his tail flaps all goofed up don't know how stable it is but i would guess you don't want to turn much in it. liable to flip upside down and become a rock. :/ also from looking at it i would guess the wings are not over the center of gravity which is probably why his tail is the way it is. i would have moved the wings back a bit and lowered the tail then pushed the wheels back so the tail doesn't drag on take off and added a drag wheel for landing:P i would also like to know what he used to attach his wings that he bets his life on (looks like brackets)...... to restate my previous it should work... tight turns would be problematic thou and i wouldn't want to fly with any wind.
overall safer and better designed than the wright brothers plain (of course they only flew it a few times before it was in pieces)
the right bros, they made the first plane to fly so they gave him an idea of how to make it look. i bet he was in the library or on the internet for months. i already hate twin props, but i have no idea how that would feel. cmon weres the rudder?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! but wow only 400 bucks. while others buy plane tickets for the same price he bilds his own plane. i wonder if he could build a 747 for 1mill?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
great job, anywhere he manage to do it, any details can be improve later stage. keep it up, well done....
i would like to see a video to beliebe that it actually flew...hahahahaha
I would ask, how many people would persue,risks & go with this. If anybody questions this endover let them try it!
First thing,,There is no picture of it flying. Second the wings or too short so even it get off the ground the pilot would be so happy to be able to landed safely lol. OMG look at the ailerons.
interesting to see what he accomplished,,,article didn't mention what was used for props,
what the uplift speed was,, but have to admire the accomplishment,, good luck with the
continued development.
Just remember the Wright Brothers built and flew the first flight controlled aircraft,no one said anything expect they were crazy. Only after they had their successful flights did everyone one come out and TELL them how to build it right.
This guy did a great job and hope he has may great hours fine tuning his design and enjoying the flying! Well done Ding Shilu
"Those that can lead, lead....those that cant lead, get the hell out of my way."
Well I'm saying damn good job. I mean for $395 what can you expect? That's damn good for that price.
I think people here are just giving him bad comments because they don't want to admit that a Chinese guy did something cool and smart, lol.
I can´t belive that thing flies!
well he did better than those who sit back and comment without even trying .awesome china dude keep it up
Even if it doesn´t fly ?
three engines faceing forward huh keep it up l o l
exellent job I love innovative people
stay out of whitehouse airspace lol
looks like a decent ultralite plane to me....i admire his ability to use what you have to success....
The price is right,but is only has 2 axis of control.It needs a rudder to give it complete 3 axis control.Also,if you increase the wingspan by 4 feet,you can double the lift of light planes.The speeds are low enough that drag is not an issue,as much as lift.I am not being critical as much as wanting to be safe.What's a life worth?