Self-Taught Pilot Breaks Chin, Leg

Li Xianfeng, a self-taught 30-year-old Chinese amateur pilot dubbed the "birdman" in local press reports, landed in the hospital after taking his home built airplane for a test flight.

The 'pilot' managed to get his microlight-style aircraft about 160 feet in the air, and kept it there for about two minutes before plowing into a field on the outskirts of Beijing, resulting in a broken chin and leg, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Li said he taught himself about aviation by reading books on the subject. He decided his flight was "partly successful" even though his hospital stay could last more than a month.

"Luckily the engine was not damaged and I will continue flying until I can make a perfect landing," he said.

His aircraft has an aluminum frame that is about 21 feet long with about a 30 foot wingspan and cost about $3,800. He said he spends all his spare time and money making both full-size, and model airplanes.

"I want a perfect landing in my own self-made plane," Li said. He also said he was willing to risk his life to achieve his life-long dream.

China requires private pilots to apply to aviation authorities for permission to fly, but many amateurs fly without permission in sparsely populated rural areas.

Another amateur pilot was killed Sunday when his private aircraft crashed into a rural courtyard in the eastern province of Shandong.

FMI: www.cad.gov.hk/english/home.html