Kerala Man Travels Around Europe With His Family In A 4-Seater Plane He Built During Lockdown
Today, Thamarakshan, his wife, and their two daughters fly throughout the UK and Europe using their home-built airplane.
Ditching Dalgona coffee or banana bread, this Kerala man built himself a plane in Lockdown.
London-based Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan is going places¡ªliterally and figuratively. What is more special about his story is how he's traveling the world in an aircraft that he built himself from scratch.
Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan/Facebook
According to the Times of India, Ashok, a resident of Alappuzha, Kerala, built a four-seat course over nearly 18 months.
Today, Thamarakshan, his wife, and their two daughters fly throughout the UK and Europe using their home-built aircraft.
Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan/Facebook
In their single-engine Sling TSi, which Thamarakshan has named "G-Diya" after his younger daughter Diya, they have been to a range of countries, including Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan/Facebook
The 38-year-old son of former MLA AV Thamarakshan is a mechanical engineer.
He relocated to the UK in 2006, and he and his wife, Abhilasha, are now living in London. Thamarakshan had the idea of developing an aircraft while the city had been under lockdown due to COVID-19.
Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan/Facebook
"Initially, I used to rent small two-seater aircraft for trips after acquiring my pilot license in 2018," he said, explaining that two-seater aircraft became redundant after his family started expanding.
Since four-seater airplanes are rare and difficult to find, Thamarakshan came up with the idea of creating one himself after realizing he would need one if he wanted to take his family with him on his trips.
Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan/Facebook
"I learned about a Johannesburg-based company, Sling Aircraft, launching a new aircraft named Sling TSI in 2018," he said.
After touring their plant, Thamarakshan placed an order for a kit to construct his plane. He had more than enough time to work on the time-consuming project owing to the pandemic-induced lockdown.
Abhilasha spoke to The Sun, saying, "We started saving money during the first lockdown, and we knew we always wanted to have our plane. We saved a lot of money in the first few months, so we thought we would give it a go."
The project's estimated cost in Indian rupees is Rs 1.8 crore.
In February of this year, Thamarakshan completed the aircraft and made its first flight. Europe and the US do not have any issues with home-built aircraft, claims the engineer who is currently on vacation in Kerala.
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