Wu Zhongyuan, a 20-year-old Chinese farmer, with only a basic school education, has made his own working helicopter out of wood and steel pipes.

The single-seater flying machine, which has blades made from wood, a frame reinforced with steel pipes and uses an engine from a motorcycle, costed less than £1,000 to build, and took three months to complete.

Wu relied on his memories of middle school physics to build the helicopter, coupled with relevant knowledge he found on the Internet, all of which he searched for through his mobile phone.


He claims that the machine is capable of flying as high as 2,600 feet, but is currently grounded for the time being as the Chinese government has forbid him to fly due to safety reasons.

Articles: Ananova, Auto Motto, DVICE