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Home-made helicopters hit northern Nigeria

Started by Dan-Borno, October 24, 2007, 10:29:04 AM

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Dan-Borno

Yahoo News
by Aminu Abubakar
Sun Oct 21, 6:43 PM ET

Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria, takes old cars and motorbikes to pieces in the back yard at home and builds his own helicopters from the parts.

"It took me eight months to build this one," he said, sweat pouring from his forehead as he filled the radiator of the banana yellow four-seater which he now parks in the grounds of his university.

The chopper, which has flown briefly on six occasions, is made from scrap aluminium that Abdullahi bought with the money he makes from computer and mobile phone repairs, and a donation from his father, who teaches at Kano's Bayero university.

It is powered by a second-hand 133 horsepower Honda Civic car engine and kitted out with seats from an old Toyota saloon car. Its other parts come from the carcass of a Boeing 747 which crashed near Kano some years ago.

For a four-seater it is a big aircraft, measuring twelve metres (39 feet) long, seven metres high by five wide. It has never attained an altitude of more than seven feet.

The cockpit consists of a push-button ignition, an accelerator lever between the seats which controls vertical thrust, a joystick that provides balance and bearing.

A small screen on the dashboard connects to a camera underneath the helicopter for ground vision, a set of six buttons adjusts the screen's brightness while a small transmitter is used for communication.

"You start it, allow it to run for a minute or two and you then shift the accelerator forward and the propeller on top begins to spin. The further you shift the accelerator the faster it goes and once you reach 300 rmp you press the joystick and it takes off," Abdullahi explained from the cockpit.

He said he learned the rudiments of flying a helicopter from the Internet and first got the idea of building one from the films he watches on television.

"I watched action movies a lot and I was fascinated by the way choppers fly. I decided it would be easier to build one than to build a car," he said pacing the premises of the security division of the university which he uses as hanger for his helicopter.

He hoped -- and still does hope -- that the Nigerian government and his wealthy compatriots would turn to him and stop placing orders with western manufacturers.

So far, however, government response to his chopper project has been underwhelming to say the least.

Although some government officials got very excited when they saw him conduct a demonstration flight in neighbouring Katsina state, Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has so far shown no interest in his aircraft.

"No one from the NCAA has come to see what I've done. We don't reward talent in this country," he lamented.

Abdullahi does admit that his first helicopter lacks "some basic facilities like devices for measuring atmospheric pressure, altitude, humidity and the like."

In a country with Nigeria's abysmal air safety record officials may be loath to gamble on one student's home-made helicopter.

But Abdullahi, undeterred, has started work on a new flying machine, which, he says, "will be a radical improvement on the first one in terms of sophistication and aesthetics."

Currently just a spindly metal frame in the back yard, the helicopter will be a two-seater and Abdullahi calculates it will be able to fly at an altitude of 15 feet for three hours at a stretch.

It will be powered by a brand new motor -- albeit Taiwan-manufactured and destined for the Jincheng motorbike so common on the streets of Kano.

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Sometimes in the 80s, same thing happened in the northern region,
however, government doesnt want to hear things like this, i dont
know why.  Talkless of encouraging the youth.  Allah ya taimaka.

"My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for" - Tupak

Mufi

You know it amazes me that we have ppl with such a talent and we never hear about them, or they never get any recognition as to what they are doing. I always believe in Nigeria we have a pool of intelligent minds and ppl with extraordinary talent, but we don't encourage them to succeed or implement a program whereby they can prosper, because not everybody have the financial means or the support to continue what they are doing. Allah ya taimaka, Amin.
Life is like a flower; more exquisite and precious when shared with others.

Bee

Salam
      I agree it you.It is so unfortunate but that is what is happenning.We have got people with great talents but nobody ever gives them a second thought.These are people that are blessed and we have got quite a number.You do not even need to go far.Look at the number of young boys who work at the machanics and check out what they are able to do.These boys might not even be going to school simply because they cannot afford to.These are boys that will bring great contribution to our falling nation only if they were to be given a chance to do so.Unfortunatley,our selfish government is only  interested in fuel and all the goodies that come with it.Other things can wait.This should not be happening.
Born To Bee Great

gogannaka

Surely after suffering comes enjoyment

arubuta

they'll never encourage that kind of thing in beloved Nigeria,
there are too many things for them to consider

take a look at the interior

If all the trees on earth were pen
and all the sea, with seven more besides, was ink,
God's words would not run dry
  Q31:27

gogannaka

The interior is not bad o!

Infact i'd rather have a ride in a Nigerian made helicopter than a Chinese made.
Surely after suffering comes enjoyment

King

#6
Are you sure you would rather fly this helicopter instead of a chinese made chopper? Here is what chinese made choppers look like bro.....


gogannaka

I dont trust anything chinese if it's not traditional or does not have a standard.
Surely after suffering comes enjoyment

ksade72

I could not believe it. A man with such a talent and intelligent be ignored by his leaders. I wonder when the leaders of the black continent will begin to think about the power of Black knowledge. Are we still willing to be dependent to the Western for the century to come? Please wake up Africa!

How can I be in touch with a man with such a beautiful mind?