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03. 05. 12. - 08:00

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03. 05. 12. - 08:00

Plane Crazy

Kathryn Quinn

A Chinese businessman is claiming he avoids congestion and saves money on fuel after using the money would be spent on a car to build himself a home-made plane in Jingxian county, in north China’s Hebei province.

Xie Baogang, 32, who left school at 16 to move into business selling aluminium windows and doors and said he had always dream of being able to afford his own plane and with the price increases for petrol had decided to make that dream a reality rather than buying a car.

He said: "I started messing around with the idea in September of last year and I had it finished by the arrival of spring.

"I was inspired by a TV show called I love inventing the I really liked. My family said I was mad and tried to stop me but once they saw my plane in the air that had to agree it was probably not such a bad idea."

The plane, which can carry two persons, cost just £4000 to build and uses no more fuel than a car over the same distance.

He said: "I don't see any reason why everybody can't go to work like this one day."

However local media reported that he could end up in trouble with aviation officials were still deciding whether the businessman is breaking any laws by building his own plane.

The vehicle would not be legal anywhere in Europe.

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