Teenage boy makes remote-controlled plane with tiffin money

A 15-year-old boy in northern Bangladesh has attracted attention by building and flying a remote-controlled aircraft of his own design, using money he saved from his daily lunch allowance.

Samiul Islam, a 10th-grade science student at Shathibari Bahumukhi High School in Mithapukur, Rangpur, has been flying his homemade aircraft in the skies over his village, drawing crowds from nearby areas.

Samiul lives in Rameshwarpara village in Borohazratpur Union of Mithapukur upazila. His fascination with aircraft began in childhood whenever he saw planes flying overhead.

He later started watching videos on YouTube about how aircraft are built and eventually decided to try making one himself.

He began saving his lunch money to buy materials. After about a month of work, he completed a remote-controlled aircraft measuring 54 inches in length and powered by a 2,200-kilovolt motor.

The project cost about 15,000 taka ($125), according to Samiul. He initially funded the project with his lunch money but later received additional financial support from his father and uncles.

Samiul said the aircraft can fly for a distance of about one kilometre. His family initially had reservations about the project, fearing it could interfere with his studies.

He was also scolded for spending time on the project, but he continued working and eventually succeeded in getting the aircraft airborne.

The aircraft is not yet capable of carrying any payload.

Samiul, however, has much bigger ambitions. He hopes to build a jet aircraft capable of carrying people and plans to study aeronautical engineering and eventually work in Bangladesh’s civil aviation sector.

His homemade aircraft has turned him into a local attraction. Children and adults from surrounding areas have been visiting to watch him fly it, while media workers and content creators have also travelled from the city to see his creation.

His classmate, Rabiul Islam, said the students were proud of Samiul for building and successfully flying an aircraft through his own efforts.

“He has achieved this in a short time through his own efforts. We hope he will continue working on aircraft design in the future,” Rabiul said.

Samiul’s mother, Amena Begum, said she was delighted by her son’s achievement and wanted him to pursue his interest in aircraft and engineering.

She said government support would give him greater opportunities to develop his skills and work towards his ambitions.

Samiul’s teacher, Abdul Hamid, described him as a quiet student whose inventive abilities had not previously been fully recognised.

“I was impressed when I saw his aircraft flying,” he said, adding that government support was needed to help talented students develop their abilities.

Professor Dr Tuhin Wadud of Begum Rokeya University said young people in remote rural areas often have limited opportunities to pursue research and work with modern technology.

“Despite these limitations, Samiul has built a remote-controlled aircraft through his curiosity, ambition and efforts to learn on his own,” he said.

He called for greater public and private support for science-minded children and teenagers so that small-scale projects could be developed into larger initiatives.

Khondakar Fakhrul Anam Benju, president of the Rangpur district unit of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJON), said innovative projects by young people had attracted attention in the past but many such initiatives had failed to develop because of a lack of proper recognition and support.

He said encouraging Samiul and giving him opportunities to further develop his project could inspire other young people to take an interest in science and technology.