A 26-year-old jobless man from a Muzaffarnagar village makes a one-seater aircraft out of sheer anger that he could not secure a job all these years. A resident of Kaserva village, a riot-affected region in the district, Abdul Wajid took up the gigantic mission when all his endeavours to secure a job failed. Wajid, during his stint in National Cadet Corps (NCC), had trained in aero-modelling at Safdarjung airport. Now the aircraft, built at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, is ready and awaits necessary approval as does his entire village, he told TOI.

TOI

"All I want is to show to all those who have found me worthless what I can do. I do not want anything more," he said. "The day this plane makes its first sortie, I am sure aviation industry will take note of it. Someone may employ me, train me further and utilise my services. At least the Uttar Pradesh chief minister will provide me some monetary assistance as he has done in several other cases in the past,"

The wooden structure weighing around 350kg and measuring a metre in length is supported by a sturdy steel frame and looks like a small aircraft ready to fly. Earlier, Wajid used two bike engines for the aircraft, but those could not give the propellers the required thrust. Eventually, he fitted the structure with the engine of an old Maruti van he purchased from a scrap dealer. The aircraft has cost him Rs 5 lakh which he collected from family, friends and generous villagers.

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Wajid claims his plane, which runs on petrol and is fitted with a 25 litre fuel tank, can sustain in air for 10 km. Asked about the safety measures in case his experiment fails, he said

"When I get the required permission to fly this, I'll keep a parachute with me."

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Wajid did his schooling from a local school and then completed his graduation from Delhi University. During his days in Delhi, he joined the NCC and got a C-certificate from its Air Force wing. It was during this stint that he developed interest in aero-modelling and was given an opportunity to train at Safdarjung airport. He also attended various NCC camps, like Vayu Sena camp, where he was learned finer nuances of aero-modelling. Later, he applied for various government jobs, but couldn't get one. Heartbroken, Wajid decided to prove his worth to those who matter and "force them to take note of his capabilities".

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Hemant Verma, aero-modelling instructor at Safdarjung airport who guided Wajid all through his endeavour, said,

"I came in contact with him five years ago. Wajid had opted for three-year training in aero-modelling and showed promise from the very start. During training, cadets are provided technical know-hows to assemble aero-models that are run via remote control. All through this, he sought my guidance from time to time."

The experiment has created an unprecedented buzz in the area. Mohammad Akhlaq said , the village head.

"This will be a historic moment for the village. Earlier, we used to think it was some kind of a joke, but this boy actually made a small plane ready to fly. Now, he has the support of the entire village,"

BCCL

The real challenge is now to seek the mandatory permission to fly the aircraft. However, nobody seems to know how to obtain it. Muzaffarnagar additional district magistrate Manoj Singh, who recently visited Wajid and inspected the aircraft, said:

"This is the first time such a request has been made. District administration cannot do anything in this matter. Only the civil aviation ministry can grant this permission, but it is easier said than done."

Wajid is now planning to meet the civil aviation minister to secure permission to fly the aircraft. He said beaming with confidence.

"If I can construct an aircraft in a remote village of UP, I can also secure permission to fly it."