Ethiopian man endeavoring to take off his-own-made aircraft

In Sendafa, a small town about 39 km east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, in an open grass field, one can take a look at white very small modern day like aircraft and in its side written is "K-570A".

The aircraft, with two-seat cockpit, is not a product of one of the aircraft manufacturers in the world; but it is a plane made from pieces of material including, wood, metal, and aluminum, by a 35-year-old man, Asmelash Zeferu.

Born in Tigray region, northern part of the East African country, Asmelash has assembled the aircraft within 570 days, and it has called it K-570A; and K stands for initial of his mother's name, Kiros Wolde-Michael; 570 is the number of days taken to complete assembling of the aircraft; and A is for aircraft.

The landings and taking offs by planes in his birth place and also in the place, where he grew up, have caused Asmelash's big aspirations for flying since his childhood, he told Xinhua at the field where he parked the plane, which he himself invented.

He had a dream of becoming pilot since childhood, but he didn't meet the height requirement 14 years back by the Ethiopian Airlines pilot school because Asmelash was a centimeter short of the requirement height then.

Asmelash said he was so impressed and inspired by the pilots whom he would see flying planes while he was a child, he has pursued it to fulfill his dream of being a pilot by making his own aircraft.

He said the pilots then have been inspiration for his being persistent in realizing his childhood dream of being a pilot.

"So, I considered those captains (pilots) as a hero; and I dreamed to become a pilot when I grew up. That is the main reason why I become more persistent to fulfill my childhood dream.

Asmelash says he has fulfilled his childhood dream by inventing the aircraft, K-570A.

"The physical work took me around one year and seven months, or 570 days, from the start to the finish. I collect the material the secondhand parts and some firsthand; the firsthand from Merkato, which is the Africa's largest market. I have already finished (building) the aircraft," he said.

Asmelash says he has a plan to study aeronautical engineering abroad and to be back home to establish his own aircraft manufacturing company.

"My plan is to go and learn aeronautical (engineering) abroad. Then I want to come back to Ethiopia and establish my own manufacturing plant in Ethiopia; that my dream is in 2031."

He said K-570A will be brand of aircrafts, which he said to be assembled by his would-be aircraft manufacturing company by 2031.

A public health officer by training, Asmelash said he would make the test flight in few weeks period after ground tests.

Asmelash will make his test flight in a 10-meter high, he said, and after successful landing he has a plan to celebrate his wedding ceremony and for which he also said has a plan for honeymoon with his fiancé to go to foreign countries.

"On the test flight, I want to fly 10 meters above the ground," he said, adding, "After I take off 10 meter high and land safely, I want to marry my fiancé."

Speaking about his honeymoon to be, "After that my honeymoon schedule to be, to go to Mombasa beach, and then to Seychelles beach... Endit