The pandemic was undoubtedly a difficult time for many, but some even used it to their advantage and picked up new DIY hobbies and challenges. Take, for instance, Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan, a Kerala man settled in the UK, who took the opportunity to complete his dream of owning a private plane by actually building one!
Ashok took 18 months to build the four-seater aeroplane, a Sling TSI that has been named 'G-Diya', after Ashok's youngest daughter, Diya.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Ashok currently works with Ford Motor Company. He holds a professional pilot's license and has been flying 2 -seater planes since 2018. But he always wanted to travel with his family, which was difficult since 4-seater planes are rare and expensive.
So, he found a better and cheaper alternative and decided to build it on his own. And during the pandemic, with spare time and money on his hand, he decided to build his own aircraft. The plane cost a total of Rs 1.8 crore and the construction was overlooked by UK Civil Aviation authorities.