A four-seater aircraft was constructed in approximately 18 months by London-based Ashok Thamarakshan. The family currently uses the plane for travel across Europe.
For his family’s vacations throughout Europe, Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan desired a small plane. So the mechanical engineer created his own four-seater plane since it was the simplest solution for him.
It only took Thamarakshan, a Keralan who now calls London home, 18 months to construct a Sling TSi model aeroplane, which he dubbed “G-Diya” in honour of his youngest daughter.
The current employee of Ford Motor Company, Thamarakshan, is the son of the late MLA AV Thamarakshan. In 2006, he relocated to London, where he currently resides with his wife and two young girls.
Thamarakshan previously rented modest two-seater aircraft after receiving his pilot’s licence in 2018. But it was difficult to find aircraft with four seats.
Thamarakshan stated, “Even if I could get a four-seater, they would be pretty ancient. This inspired me to research my choices and learn more about homemade aeroplanes.”
To obtain an assembly kit, he went to the Johannesburg-based Sling Aircraft. He had time to work from a workshop within his home complex thanks to the Covid-caused lockout. UK civil aviation authorities frequently checked on the construction.
He finished the project in February for a total of Rs 1.8 crore, and he drove it right away. His aircraft can travel at a top speed of 200 km/h and consumes 20 litres of gasoline per hour. 180 litres of petrol can fit in the tank.
The Indian family later departed on journeys not just inside the UK but also to neighbouring nations including Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic aboard their home-built aircraft.
Home-built aircraft are permitted by the law in Europe and the US, and Thamarakshan is now hopeful that India’s rules will soon follow suit.
