After building a helicopter, farmer needs permit to fly

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- With directions from the Internet and an old Russian truck motor, a Vietnamese farmer fulfilled his dream of making his own helicopter. The job took two friends, seven years and $30,000.

Now, military officials say he can't fly it, because he didn't get approval to build it, and they confiscated the makeshift copter.

"It's my hobby," farmer Le Van Danh complained by telephone Monday from his hometown of Tay Ninh, in Vietnam's southwest. "I will do whatever I can, including going to the prime minister, to get the permission."

True, he admits, the helicopter is still a work in progress: It only rises about 18 inches off the ground.

"We are in the process of a fifth test of moving forward and backward, left and right," Danh said.

Getting approval to keep working on the chopper won't be easy. No Vietnamese individual has ever been granted a government license to build an aircraft, said Le Cong Tinh, director of the Air Transport Safety division of the country's Civil Aviation Administration.

The farmer said he won't give up, vowing to sell his house or 25 acres of land if that's what it takes to get the license.

"If I cannot do it, my children or my grandchildren will do it," he said.

Wow! I wonder were he got the knowledge to build something like that. Maybe he really isn't a farmer...?

I think his farm was visited by UFOs :D

The farmer said he won't give up, vowing to sell his house or 25 acres of land if that's what it takes to get the license.

Now thats some dedication right there.. Nothing like selling your house so you can hover 18 inches above the ground lol

Makes you really appreciate living in the US hearing things like that. There was a guy that lived near us when I was a kid that bought a helicoper kit and would fly it around our farms. He came over to land it once and BAP it smacked the ground and rotor blades were flying everywhere. No one was hurt thankfully, but that was an amazing site.

He shouldnt have said anything to ANYONE about this....

Thats what people ibggest problem is,they cant keep thier mouth SHUT!!!!!!

I hope he gets it back sometime.....

The Dude :)

It's a helicopter, how do you hide such a vehicle?!

Originally posted by kris1351
Makes you really appreciate living in the US hearing things like that.

WHY? It's got nothing to do with US of A. He's in HANOI, Vietnam (AP)

Doc

Originally posted by TheDoctor
WHY? It's got nothing to do with US of A. He's in HANOI, Vietnam (AP)

Doc

Aviation laws (Compared to Vietnam) are much more easier to deal with and work with. I think that's what his point was.

You still need military clearance to fly home-made rockets and other airborne vehicles.

Originally posted by timechange.com
You still need military clearance to fly home-made rockets and other airborne vehicles.

It depends on the size of the rocket and the altitude to which is supposed to go. You basically need to notify them, that way NORAD doesn't freak out. I believe last time I checked it was something like 10,000 feet.

But building a kit/homebuilt aircraft in this country (the USA) is relatively easy (not building it itself but going through the legal hoops)..

OMG OMG..... some people ...geesh

They make all kinds of kits for this kind of thing and as I recall they arent very expensive . Some people are just out for a rush though or just too creative and always wanting to tinker with things

what a hobby :crazy:

Kit planes and helicopters do not need special clearance from the military in the US. As long as they pass inspection and you have a pilots license are you good to go. That was the comment, our flight laws are much more lenient than that listed in this article. Your aircraft would not be confiscated either if you never broke a certain altitude.

Originally posted by kris1351
Your aircraft would not be confiscated either if you never broke a certain altitude.

I wouldn't have thought you would need a pilots licence for 18 inches, I mean I have had my car further of the ground than that. :eek:

Doc

would you want a homemade helicopter flying over your house, or near your children ? He should attempt to get the permit to fly. If anything, it obvious this person is highly intelligent. Maybe they can put his services to use.

Originally posted by wootman
OMG OMG..... some people ...geesh

They make all kinds of kits for this kind of thing and as I recall they arent very expensive . Some people are just out for a rush though or just too creative and always wanting to tinker with things

what a hobby :crazy:

And from the article:

With directions from the Internet and an old Russian truck motor, a Vietnamese farmer fulfilled his dream of making his own helicopter.


If you have ever built your own computer you "may" know how this dude feels. A kit is a kit, but a chopper from an old truck motor with directions from the internet - now that's legendary stuff! He shouldn't be a farmer with that kind of brain.

I'm suprise that the chopper wasn't a "frankenstein" of numerous US aircraft bits that were shot down in his fields. :D