Most Internet users love YouTube for everything from the cute cat videos to the hilarious fails, but one man used the popular site to build his dream–literally.
Paen Long grew up in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, in which aircraft was just an idea and not a reality. However, when he was just six years old, he saw a helicopter for the first and last time, and since then, has always dreamed of flying. “I always dreamt about aircraft every night. I always wanted to have my own plane,” he says.
Well, flash forward to his adulthood. Mr. Long dropped out of school to become a mechanic. Finding success in his chosen career field, he opened up a shop of his own and finally, at age 30 decided to realize his dream.
But, Mr. Long didn’t know how to create an aircraft on his own. So what did he do? He turned to YouTube.
At first, Mr. Long typed the word “jet” into the search bar, and from there, his YouTube obsession spiraled out of control. But it all paid off.
For years, Paen stayed up hours past his wife and children watching videos on everything from flight simulations to virtual tours of airplane production factories. From those videos, he was able to obtain the knowledge he needed to create an aircraft of his own. That’s right, Mr. Long built an aircraft in secret (fearing that his friends, family, and community members would make fun of him), and revealed the final product–a complete aircraft–on March 8, just before 15:00.
When he started up the engine, townspeople–approximately 300 of them–came to help him push it to the runway. When he finally took off, he gained at least 50 meters before crashing to the ground. The townspeople laughed and told him they knew his mission would fail all along. But that didn’t stop Paen. He continues to work on his plane today, with the support of some community members.
Despite the fact that the majority of his community–including his wife–doesn’t understand his dream, he perseveres, with faith that his efforts will one day pay off.
Mr. Long’s current design is based on a Japanese plane used in WWII. It’s a one-seater, with a wingspan of 5.5m, which he produced entirely from scratch and recycled materials. The pilot’s seat is a chair with the legs chopped off, and the control panel a car dashboard. The body is made from an old gas container.
Paen serves as a great role model to those with a dream that no one else believes in. The fact that he was able to get his first prototype off the ground–without any real-life knowledge of how an airplane works– is a testament to the fact that anyone can do anything they set their mind to, so long as they have a vision and the unwavering desire to succeed.
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