Chinese-American engineer builds his own plane

In a community in the western suburbs of Chicago live a group of aviation enthusiasts who turn the backyards opening into a mini airport and park small airplanes in garages.

Among those planes, one was built by a Chinese-American engineer.

Being an engineer of Nokia, David Hu started to make an airplane in 2006. For the past 10 years, from drawings, buying materials and parts, polishing, assembling to testing, David worked all by himself in his spare time.

The plane weighs about 590 kg, and has a top speed of some 290 km per hour and a mileage of 644 to 724 km.

After passing all technical evaluations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the plane made its maiden flight in June this year.

"I have flown airplanes most of my life, this is one of the best airplanes I have ever flown. Mechanically it is perfect, sound," John Musgrave, instructor of Blue Sky Aero Inc., told Xinhua.

He also said the plane is "very safe," adding that "everything in the airplane is certified aircraft parts."

Since its June maiden flight, the plane has so far flied 32 hours in two months, averaging two to three hours per week. And no problem has occurred.

"This is a 10-year journey. There are a lot of challenges for my families to support me, a lot of problems along the way, emotionally, physically, financially. Like any kind of big project, but I am glad that we made it," said Hu, after flying his plane from nearby Morris Airport back home Sunday.

"I have done this flying. So I can now turn the page of my life to a new page, looking forward to the next step," Hu said. Endi