UK-based Kerala engineer builds his own plane, travels through Europe with family

A Malayali mechanical engineer based in the UK made use of the COVID-induced lockdown to build an aircraft that he now uses to travel to different countries with his family.

Alappuzha (Kerala):When the entire world was shut down due to Covid-19 lockdown, a London-based mechanical engineer from Kerala made good use of his free time and built a plane for himself and his family. Two years down the line, Ashok Thamarakshan, 38, a native of Alappuzha, Kerala is travelling the world with his family on the aircraft he built in 30 months, most of it during the lockdown.

Ashok started building his airplane in May 2019 and completed it in November 2021. He referred to YouTube, aviation engineering books and also took help from some experts to finish his dream project. Ashok already had a commercial pilot license which he had acquired from Britain Civil Aviation. He then completed a three-month long test flight in his aircraft, which is mandatory for getting a license for the aircraft.

"I have a commercial pilot license from Britain Civil Aviation. I felt I needed a four-seater aircraft for travelling with my family. Then I found the amateur-built aircraft section and learned about the sling aircraft for which the kit was supplied by a South African company that I could assemble myself. I found that on YouTube first. I went to South Africa and carried out a test flight on that aircraft. I visited their factory as well. I came back to the UK and ordered a kit from the company. It took me almost two years to complete it. The first flight was in February this year. I got the permit from the Civil Aviation Authority in May. "

He took his maiden flight on February 7, 2022, and then travelled to countries like Germany, Italy, and France along with his family. He has named his aircraft G Diya, combining his daughter's name 'Diya' with 'G', the icon used for planes in Britain. Ashok thought of making the aircraft on his own due to the traffic block. Now, with the aircraft, he can travel 250 km in an hour without any worries about traffic jams. "I always wanted to take my family on trips in aircraft. Hiring aircraft was too expensive an option. I built aircraft mostly during the lockdown. We flew across 4 countries, and the aircraft is capable of flying across the country," Ashok said.

Ashok had to spend 1,40,000 euros to build and own the aircraft. His wife Abhilasha is a native of Indore and working in the insurance sector in London. The family will return to London on July 30. Ashok Thamarakshan, lives in Billericay, Essex, UK.