CNBC AI Exclusive — While private jets remain a luxury symbol for most, a grassroots team in China is redefining DIY aviation by constructing a functional fixed-wing aircraft with remarkable ingenuity and a shoestring budget.
A viral video released by blogger “Homemade Plane Guru” showcases the maiden flight of a handcrafted “Flying Flea” — a petite dual-wing aircraft inspired by 1930s French designs — taking off and landing effortlessly on rugged terrain. Despite its rudimentary appearance, the plane demonstrated stable flight dynamics and short-runway capabilities, even executing ground drifts reminiscent of off-road vehicles.
The brainchild of four enthusiasts from Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, the project combines naval aviation expertise with mechanical savvy. The team—including a retired navy serviceman, motorboat technicians, and a powered-paragliding specialist—opted for the vintage “Flying Flea” design for its cost efficiency and user-friendly features. Key innovations include:
- Collapsible dual-wing structure for compact storage
- Simplified joystick controls requiring minimal training
- Tandem wing configuration enabling takeoffs at just 25 mph (40 km/h)
- Lightweight airframe built from Russian pine and aerospace-grade adhesives
Financial pragmatism drove critical decisions: A secondhand Rotax 447 engine sourced from Xianyu (China’s popular二手 platform) cost merely $2,000, while total project expenses hovered around $4,100. The aircraft boasts a 2-hour flight endurance per fuel tank, challenging perceptions about aviation accessibility.
Aviation experts note the design’s clever engineering compromises: “By eliminating flaps and using full-movable wings, they’ve simplified manufacturing while maintaining aerodynamic stability,” says Dr. Li Wei, an aerospace engineer consulted by CNBC. “This could inspire new approaches to ultralight aircraft development.”
The project has sparked lively online discussions, with netizens dubbing the team “the Wright brothers’ Chinese cousins” and applauding their cost-effective approach. As grassroots aviation gains momentum globally—from 3D-printed drones to open-source flight controllers—this Chinese innovation underscores a growing trend: democratizing flight through collaborative engineering and resourcefulness.
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