Chinese Farmer Builds an Airplane, as He Couldn’t Afford to Fly One
Zhu Yue invested all his savings of 2.6 million Yuan ($374,000) for building an airplane of his own.
Man is the maker of his own destiny. Sometimes difficult situations and conditions led us to work wonder and create the destiny for ourselves. Such is the story of a garlic farmer in China, whose dream of flying an airplane was not possible because of his financial condition so he decided to build one instead and the result is an Airbus A320.
Though the replica of the Airbus A320 may not be flying, it speaks of sheer dedication and willpower of the Zhu Yue, who has finished building the aircraft before the expected time, which is now parked on a short piece of tarmac, which is surrounded by wheat fields in the northeast China.
Zhu Yue wasn’t even able to complete his middle school and started out as a farmer, farming onions and garlic along with his family members to earn his living, he then moved to a small city Kaiyuan to work in a factory as a welder.
It's here that his dream of building an airplane got wings. He had a dream of flying an airplane since his childhood, later he realized that he may not be able to fly a plane because of his financial condition. So he invested all his savings of 2.6 million Yuan ($374,000) for building an airplane of his own. He began the project with a toy model of an Airbus A320, which is one-eightieth of its original size.
He then engrossed himself into his dream project, he measured dimensions, studied online photos of the model and with learning from mistakes he crafted the cockpit, wings, engine, tail and fuselage. For making the plane he used 60 tonnes of steel. The plane’s latest additions are its self-made cockpit, which is decorated with the replica of flight instruments and has a stair car for getting on board.
In this project of Zhu, five fellow aircraft enthusiasts worked as laborers to speed up the project. About their enthusiasm, Zhu Yue said, “On the one hand they’re earning money, on the other they’re fulfilling dreams, accomplishing things”.
As the homemade Airbus is not going to fly any time soon, Zhu has decided to use it as a diner. Zhu says, “We will put down a red carpet so every person who comes to eat will feel like a head of state”. Therefore the A320 Airbus’ 156 seats have been turned into 36 first class chairs for customers. The food menu is yet to be decided, Zhu said he is still not very sure whether he will serve hamburgers and French fries or the Chinese food, which the local people may prefer.
Zhu is an inspiration for all those who dare to dream big, there is a possibility every moment. The only need is to try and give shape to every dream you see both with your close and open eyes.