Zeferu K-570

The Zeferu K-570 is a made-from-scratch aeroplane constructed by Ethiopian Asmelash Zeferu, who plans to fly it to become the first East African to fly an indigenously-designed aircraft.^[1]

Aircraft

The Zeferu K-570A is a two-seat parasol-wing monoplane of conventional layout and wooden frame construction. The wing is of straight, untapered configuration and is strut-braced. The fixed, fuselage-mounted tailwheel undercarriage is derived from a Suzuki motorcycle.^[1]

Power was initially provided by a Volkswagen engine taken from a Volkswagen Beetle motor car. This horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine has a capacity of 1,285 cc and delivers 40 hp at 3,000 rpm.

The engine has since been replaced by a 78 hp model taken from a Volkswagen Transporter.^[2]

Design altitude in cruise is 10 metres (33 ft).

History

Zeferu left Alemaya University campus to join the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy, but his application to become a pilot was refused. So in 2001, he decided to build his own plane in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of flight.^[2]

The Zeferu K-570A aeroplane failed to fly on its first outing, on 15 June 2015, when the propeller disintegrated.

Following an introduction to René Bubberman, a member of the Dutch Experimental Aircraft Association (NVAV), Zeferu has been offered a scholarship to study aeronautics at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences.

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b Wells (2015)
^ ^a ^b "First-time flier to pilot homemade plane to wedding - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2015-11-29.

Bibliography

Wells, Jonathan (2015-09-09). "Meet the man who built his own plane from scratch, using second-hand parts and YouTube tutorials". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-29.

[wells-1] Wells (2015)

[cnn-2] "First-time flier to pilot homemade plane to wedding - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2015-11-29.

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