The aircraft's main body
Dong Zhenhua and his aircraft
An 80s-born young man from Qinghai, Dong Zhenhua, spent just over two months building a manned gyroplane all by himself. His dream is to fly freely in the sky.
On December 11th, a strange machine was parked on the rooftop of a residential building in the Xining Economic and Technological Development Zone. Is it a bicycle? But it has three wheels. Could it be a small motor car? But it has no pedals, and there’s a propeller on “its head.”
“It’s a gyroplane!” revealed its owner, the 80s-born young man Dong Zhenhua. He said that the aircraft isn’t fully completed yet; once the rotor and tail wing are installed, it will become a manned gyroplane.
When talking about the initial idea of building an aircraft, Dong Zhenhua simply said, “I felt I could do it, so I got started.”
Action is what turns dreams into reality. Ever since childhood, Dong Zhenhua has dreamed of flying and yearned to soar in the blue sky. Two years ago, he began learning specialized knowledge, and after fully mastering the principles of flight, he started building the aircraft earlier this year.
Action is what turns dreams into reality
“There was a farmer in China who spent fifty thousand yuan to build an aircraft,” Dong Zhenhua said. His aircraft was entirely handcrafted by himself, with no labor costs involved, and has so far cost him just over ten thousand yuan.
“When the engine spins at high speed, the aircraft’s propeller acts like a fan, generating wind that can lift the body into the air,” Dong Zhenhua explained. A gyroplane is actually a type of aircraft that falls between a helicopter and a fixed-wing plane. Aside from the rotor, it also has a vertically mounted propeller that provides forward thrust.
Currently, the aircraft already has electrical distribution, fuel supply, and steering systems. With a fuselage nearly two meters long, Dong Zhenhua couldn’t keep it at home, so he placed it on the rooftop platform. If testing is needed, they might have to hoist the aircraft down from the top floor. How long the aircraft can run on land? Without testing, Dong Zhenhua isn’t sure, “The fuel tank is 20 liters, so it might run for one to two hours.”
Building the aircraft cost over ten thousand yuan
In Dong Zhenhua’s bedroom, tools such as electric drills, wires, and welding tongs are scattered on the floor—the room has become his workshop for building the aircraft.
“I originally planned to draw the blueprints on a computer and then have them welded at a shop, but no one was willing to take the job,” Dong Zhenhua said. As soon as they heard it was something meant to fly, no one dared to do it.
If no one dares to do it, then I’ll do it myself.
Dong Zhenhua bought the engine, fuel tank, seat, and other parts online, from bike shops, and manufacturers.
After getting the materials, he did the welding and painting himself. The seat is from a special type of bicycle called a “recumbent bike.” The aircraft’s propeller is a wooden board, which was also custom-made from a specialized manufacturer.
At first, Dong Zhenhua planned to make a pedal-powered aircraft, using leg power to turn the propeller. After the initial test, he found that pedaling couldn’t generate enough power for the propeller, so later he bought an engine from a manufacturer.
So far, the engine hasn’t yet turned the propeller, “It will require multiple tests, and all the aircraft’s parts need to be adjusted to reach maximum rotation speed,” Dong Zhenhua said. This needs to follow scientific principles.
The bedroom became an aircraft workshop
Dong Zhenhua bought a set of cycling gear online to prepare for flying. This type of clothing is designed for off-road motorcycles and can prevent abrasions, skeletal injuries, etc. When Dong Zhenhua puts it on, he looks very cool.
“According to the information I’ve seen, similar aircraft abroad can fly up to around two thousand meters, but it really depends on the test results and the engine’s rotation speed,” Dong Zhenhua said. He wants to ensure safety and doesn’t plan to fly recklessly.
Dong Zhenhua said the flight principle of the gyroplane is similar to that of a paraglider, making it one of the safest types of aircraft. Its maximum vertical speed is equivalent to a car going about 18 kilometers per hour, and the chance of crashing is almost nonexistent. “If the engine suddenly stops in mid-air, a helicopter might just fall straight down. But for this gyroplane, the top propeller will keep spinning, allowing the aircraft to descend slowly, almost like a parachute—so it’s very safe.”
It has to be able to “drive” on the ground before it can “fly” in the sky. In a few days, Dong Zhenhua will test the aircraft, and after passing the tests, he plans to conduct a test flight to fulfill his dream of flying.
Theoretically, it can fly up to around two thousand meters.