Mechanic builds helicopter in Bangladesh

Up to a big ambition

Auto mechanic committed to manufacture chopper
Habibur Rahaman, Pirojpur


Curious people gather before Al-Amin’s workshop to have a look at the helicopter. Photo: Star

Thirty-year-old Al-Amin, a self-taught automobile mechanic in Pirojpur, has endeavoured to do something extraordinary.

Drawing inspiration from a documentary on the National Geographic Channel, he has been trying to build a fully developed helicopter.



With an engine of a 100cc motorbike, and metal bars and sheets, Al-Amin, a mechanic in Pirojpur, is working to make a helicopter. Photo: Star

Nearly a month back, he had built a dummy helicopter which he could fly more than two feet for a while. And he is now making a bigger and controllable one at his automobile workshop in Pirojpur municipality
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“I must fly in the sky one day with my helicopter. I want to do something great so that my country is proud of me,” said Al-Amin, who has studied only up to class VI.

He started working as a driver of rented motorbikes and locally-made passenger vans to help his parents run the five-member family after he left school.

Al-Amin, son of Rustom Ali Akon, a rickshaw-puller, opened the automobile workshop three and a half years ago and has showed his talent in automobile manufacturing.

He dreamt of making a helicopter after watching a documentary on helicopters on the National Geographic Channel nearly three months ago.

“After watching the documentary on TV at night, I returned to the workshop and started designing a helicopter,” he told The Daily Star.

He built a miniature helicopter with iron bars, motor and batteries of an auto-rickshaw about a month ago. The rotor blades were made from aluminium plates he purchased from Nawabpur in Dhaka. The dummy helicopter weighed about 28 kilograms.

“As I powered up the helicopter, it flew more than two feet and then fell because the blades were not strong enough.”

“I would say it was a success, as the helicopter took off.” And it inspired him to try to make a fully developed helicopter.

Al-Amin, locally known as “Malinga” for his resemblance to the Sri Lankan cricketer, said he is now making a helicopter with the engine of his 100CC motorbike.

“The most important part now is the rotor blades and the control system,” he said.
He is looking for support from the government or any organisation that can provide him with rotor blades and a control system.

Al-Amin said he had already spent Tk 3.5 lakh, and that he needed help to make his dream come true.

“Though we are poor, I have dreamt of doing something extraordinary from my childhood. My parents have always encouraged me in my venture.”


An optimistic Al-Amin was sure that his model of the helicopter would be able to fly with three to four persons.

His engineering talents have drawn huge attention from locals, many of whom had flocked to the Pirojpur stadium to see his dummy helicopter a month ago.
Parvin Jahan Lubna, a lawyer in Pirojpur, said, “I am astonished by Al-Amin’s talents. I think we all should help him.”

Comments

  1. If someone has emotion he he may do anything with materialism.thank a lot Bangladeshi youth.

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