Man From Kerala Travel To Europe On A Plane Build During Lockdown

A man from Kerala named Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan is currently flying a home-built aircraft across Europe with his family at a time when the aviation industry is still struggling to recover from the negative effects of the Covid-19 outbreak. During the Covid-19 shutdown, the aircraft was constructed by Ashok Aliseril Thamarakshan, who is currently living in London.

The four-seater plane was built by Mr. Thamarakshan, a native of Alappuzha in Kerala, in just under 18 months.

According to sources, the four-seater "Sling TSI" aircraft has been given the moniker "G-Diya," with Diya being the name of his younger daughter. Mr. Thamarakshan, who is currently employed by Ford Motor Company, travelled to the UK in 2006 to complete his master's degree, reported NDTV.

The four-seater has already taken Mr. Thamarakshan and his family on trips to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He is a licenced pilot.

When asked how he came up with the concept to build an aircraft, Mr. Thamarakshan recalled that at first, after getting his pilot's licence in 2018, he used to charter rent two-seater aircraft for vacations. However, since his family consists of his wife and two daughters, a four-seater aircraft was necessary but they are uncommon, and even if he could find one, it would be very old.

During the lockdown, he did some study on the topic and learned about home-built aircraft due to his difficulty locating a suitable four-seater aircraft.

The 38-year-old went to the Sling Aircraft plant in Johannesburg to build his own aircraft after learning that they will be releasing a new model, the Sling TSI, in 2018. Mr. Thamarakshan placed an order for a kit to construct his own plane following the factory tour.

Meanwhile, he had the chance to work on the big project because of the pandemic-induced lockdown, which gave him lots of time and allowed him to save money. The aeroplane is expected to cost Rs 1.8 crore to produce in total.