THE SELF MADE AIRCRAFT: I will fly over Balkans in my gyrocopter (PHOTO)

It seems like a simple contraption, but it flies. However, there is no one that has the guts and the nerve to soar her to the sky, but were the brave people who "ran" the airstrip with this device, couple of meters over the ground. 

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Its proud owner, retired electrician from Skopje village Sopiste, Vane Sindev (71) doesn't bother it didn't get to fly. Its important to him that after more than 5 decades, his childhood dream came true, to have his own aircraft.

In the garage of the family home, from the components of the waste collected without blueprints, diagrams and precise mathematical calculations, he made a gyrocopters.

- I dreamed as a child to create a plain one day. Children made fun of me, but i managed to create some kind of an aircraft, my gyrocopter, and without any blueprints or calculations. Gyrocopters have been made in the West since the 50's of the last century. i didn't invent anything. I constructed it approximately. I saw how it looked on the picture and i did it by that. I took the engine from Citroen and tuned it from 18 to 35 horse power. I made my own rotor head, i took the ring from the chopper "Bel 206", altimeter of the aircraft of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia "Icarus 2", I made a propeller, and rotary blades from the US, "Balcer". Weight of gyrocopter is 220 kilos, and with a tank of 5 liters of fuel it can fly for 40 minutes at a height of over 400 meters. I made the craft completely alone - for full two years. It sounds a lot, but it isn't, if you count hours, i spent around 60 hours on it - said Sindev.

Foto: D. Joksić

His love for the aviation was born in earliest childhood. He loves heights and speed and he dreamed he will fly someday. His wish was to become a military pilot. He read a lot of books about aviation, and when he found out there is a Aero club in Skopje in 1960, he signed in immediately. He was 15 back then, and because of his age, he was not allowed to attend a course for pilot, sailor or parachutist. Therefore, he began to engage in model building and thus gained a knowledge of aviation and planes.

- First time i applied in military academy in Belgrade in 1962 but i was rejected because i was 6 months older than recommended age. Even though i was disappointed, i did not give up. After finishing high school of electro mechanical, electrician by profession, I applied again, but they refused me again because of too many candidates. The third time, and the last chance was reserve officers' school, but I was then on examination in Zemun proclaimed incapable - because of the large number of candidates, "Daddy's sons", that was too much for me. I was so disappointed that I immediately wanted to leave Yugoslavia, but I could not because I did not finish my military service.  That's why I volunteered in 1966 in the YNA, and when I said that I had 19 rebounds with parachute on a recruiting commission I was sent to the famous parachute infantry unit in Nis, in the group of saboteurs. Well, i was no capable of flying, and in the military i was capable of both flying and para shooting - said Sindev.

Foto: D. Joksić

After his military service, in 1967 he went to Germany where he lived for 16 years, but love for aviation was still the same. After returning from Germany he was employed in the Directorate for General Affairs of the Macedonian Government as an electrician. Here is awaited retirement and peacefully began to realize his dream.

- Four years ago, when the Macedonian air force commander Kire Stojkovski saw my craft, he demanded for the gyrocopter to be put on display at a military airfield that summer on the occasion of the Macedonian military aviation day. Then I got congratulations and praise from top pilots and aviation engineers. Everybody were amazed how such a craft could made by an ordinary electrician. Ten days later, while the gyrocopter was still on the airfield, i decided to test it. I met a pilot, colonel Stojmir Pejovski who asked if he could test it first. Although I wanted to do it, I let him have the satisfaction. It wasn't the real flight, more like a run down the airway. The testing went successfully. I noticed some small problems that I removed so that the gyrocopter is now ready for the real test flight. Although i never flew in my life, I'm going to fly with my aircraft, and when I do, I'll declare myself a pilot - says jokingly Sindov.

Foto: D. Joksić

Although his childhood dreams are fulfilled, Vane will not stop from dreaming. Now he wants to make a special chute that in case of damage he could land the gyrocopter with the pilot. In his home in the village Sopiste, there is a part of the plain in the entrance, and he has his own private museum of pilot equipment with over 1,000 exhibits, ethnological museum, oldtimer motors and antiques.

(Telegraf.co.uk / D.J.)