Chopper man given wings

Not so long ago the idea of flying was just a dream for Hendrick Chebanga. Never in his wildest imagining did he think he would actually sit in a cockpit with the instrument panel right in front of him.

But on Wednesday the man who built a replica of a police helicopter in his back yard could not wait to tell everyone he knows, including his mother in Zimbabwe, that his dream had come true.

Before leaving his shack in Dilopye village, near Hammanskraal, to go to Grand Central Airport, where he was due to take off, he said a short prayer, thanking God for giving him the opportunity to fly in a real helicopter.

"I woke up and prayed to say: 'I am going fly in a real helicopter'. I called my mother to tell her. She was very happy for me and proud her son was going to be in a helicopter," he said.

Chebanga said just getting inside the helicopter was priceless for him, adding the best moments of the 45-minute flight were the take-off, the turns, the view from up in the sky and the roaring sound of the engine of the sleek black Airbus H120 five-seater turbine helicopter as it soared over the Sandton CBD.

"I was sitting in the front seat. I was feeling like I am a pilot . seeing everything from above. I was very impressed, just like a co-pilot. I enjoyed it very much. Cars were small things. The view up there is very nice. It was like I am on the other side of the world," the 30-year-old son of a carpenter beamed after touching down.

He said the experience fuelled his ambition of building a real helicopter, saying all his efforts, working 12 hours a day for eight months to build his replica, had paid off.

Johannesburg businessman Alan Robertson, who made the flight possible, said Chebanga was an inspiration, a natural.

Robertson, who owns and piloted the aircraft, said he was privileged to be the first person to fly with Chebanga.

Robertson said: "Certainly this is not his last flight . my personal hope is that between the operators on the airfield, I know there is some interest, but hopefully someone will give Hendrick an opportunity to show what he can do."