London, United Kingdom (CU)_ During the time when the global aviation industry is regaining from the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the related border closures, a man from Kerala is touring around Europe on a home-built four-seater aircraft with his family. Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan, a native of Alappuzha in Kerala, who now resides in London, constructed the aircraft during the Covid-19 lockdown. It took around 18 months for him to construct the four-seater aircraft.
According to media reports, the four-seater aircraft model “Sling TSI” has been given the moniker “G-Diya,” which is his younger daughter’s name. Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan’s father is a former MLA A V Thamarakshan. He relocated to the United Kingdom in 2006 to do his master’s degree, and he is presently employed at Ford Motor Company. Mr. Thamarakshan, who possesses a pilot’s license, has taken his family to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic in the four-seater aircraft.
Mr. Thamarakshan explained how he landed up with the notion of building an airplane. He said, “Initially, I used to rent small two-seater aircraft for trips after acquiring my pilot license in 2018. But since my family comprises my wife and two daughters, I required four-seater aircraft. But they are rare and even if I could get one, they were very old.” The challenges in getting a suitable four-seater aircraft prompted him to study more about home-built aircraft during the lockdown.
Ahead of building his own aircraft, the 38-year-old engineer visited the Johannesburg-based business Sling Aircraft’s facility in 2018 after discovering that they will be releasing a new aircraft, Sling TSI. After learning the techniques at the plant, Mr. Thamarakshan bought a kit to construct his own aircraft. With plenty of free time during the lockdown caused by the pandemic as well as the money that he saved during this time, he had the chance to work on his dream project. The anticipated overall cost to construct the airplane is 1.8 crore.
