Bangalore's tractor mechanic’s flying marvel

Even as pilots from all over the world showcased their aerobatic skills, it was the proficiency of a tractor mechanic that stood out on day four of the Aero India 2013.

Pradip S Mohite, 28, a tractor mechanic by profession, from Sangli district, Maharashtra, has developed a helicopter using automobile components. A class IX dropout, he has used a Maruti 800 engine to power the chopper’s rotors, controlled by automobile brake cables. According to him, a tractor battery is used to start the engine and an automobile speedometer meets his monitoring requirements.

The chopper’s main and tail rotors have two blades each. The helicopter weighs 380 kg (including one pilot).

Mohite’s chopper managed to take off from ground on July 7 last year. “I spent about Rs3 lakh for developing this model of the helicopter. I had to buy a Maruti 800 engine from a scrap yard. The testing of the chopper has been on since 2010, despite my father initially not supporting my endeavours,” said Mohite, whose father is a sugarcane farmer.

During Aero India, defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recognised his talent and conferred him with the Dhruv award for indigenous talent.

A press release from HAL said many of Mohite’s ingenious concepts are innovate.

“He has constantly innovated and improved his machine to bring it to a flying stage, using his own resources and his own visualised concepts,” HAL acknowledged.