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Comment by Normal_gaussian | Hacker News Reader

> He has spent about $800,000 of his own, and his family's money, and has sold properties and pawned family jewellery to fund his dream.

> "In India, innovation by commoners like me is not taken seriously. [...]"

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Presumably he means "not well connected or from the right family / caste". It's a very class-driven society.

Its not class-driven, but caste-driven society.

That's quite a black and white view of things, which may have been true >100 years ago. Today there are wealthy people in the lowest castes and poor people in the highest castes. Money and power takes precedence over caste.

Actually (I think I agree with you), my impression is that just like stories in the US and UK, it is taken all too seriously in India. That's not necessarily a bad thing... it's just art and not designing a safe airplane. It's not actually innovation, if it doesn't work, but I hope the publicity is worth it!

"Mr Yadav is now back on the roof, working on a prototype for his next 19-seater plane", eeek!

"You know, I think I would make aviation history in India, if they allow me to take the plane up", but perhaps not the kind of history that he would want to make. Risking his own life is one thing, but others?

> It's not actually innovation, if it doesn't work

Well it's not going to be innovation even if it does work. The technological progress of a hundred years and hundreds of billions of dollars of continuous refinement in aviation is insane. He's not going to be able to improve on a single bolt, let alone a whole frame, for a million bucks. Probably not for a billion bucks.

I mean, kudos for the guy for doing his thing and I don't mean to be hard on him but geeze. It's entrepreneurship and can-do spirit, which is great, but it's not innovation.

If the dude refined a kit and is able to create a relatively safe DIY plane for under 100k in parts isn’t that an innovation?

For that money you can purchase several safe planes.

Can you really get a functioning single prop with new or decent functionally usable used parts that is completely flyable and safe enough for regulations for under 100k?

In the US there is a category called "light sport aircraft" where there are some examples under $100k and many under $150k.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2015/10/12/four-lsa-under-96...

Those are also prices for a new aircraft, used go lower.

Enough economies of scale to make this kind of business pretty much unviable? Maybe. I’m pretty sure you can still buy car kits from car kit companies that are more expensive than a good Honda because hobbyists enjoy building cars from “scratch”. It does decrease the market value of the proposition sitgnificantly though if you are only focused on hobbyists.

$100k isn't particularly cheap for a DIY kit plane. Planes are cheap, it's everything else that's expensive.

http://www.aircraftdealer.com/aircraft_for_sale/Cessna_150_1...

> A local newspaper and a news channel picked up the story. The throng turned into a flood of visitors taking selfies with the plane. India's aviation minister came visiting, as did senior officials and a bevy of businessmen.

> Mr Yadav says he's now ready to commercially build India's first indigenous planes. Investors have shown interest. The local BJP-led government has promised him 157 acres of land to set up a factory to make 19-seater aeroplanes.

While your point is understood, he does seem to be being taken somewhat seriously.

That is, in fact, what I mean.

He is claiming he is a commoner, and he is claiming he is not being taken seriously; I do not think either of those claims hold water.

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