'Grounded' by lack of funds

BANGALORE: At the age of 10, he made missiles out of jotter pens. They flew a few metres. That was Mohammed Muzakkir Sharieff’s first date with success.
He started learning more about speed. Like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, he wanted to be different. He wanted to fly high. Ten years down the line, his aircraft, weighing 100 kg, is ready. Powered by his father’s Bajaj scooter engine, the plane has been named Passion for Success (PFS-1).
Shivajinagar junkyard traders backed Muzakkir’s mission with spares. His mother’s meagre pension funded the project.
‘‘He started making the plane last year. He was locked in a room for days before he churned out the propeller,� says his mother Sayeeda Banu. To divert his attention from the plane, his father sent him to the Makhija-Rotary Vocational Training Institute on Old Madras Road. That was a blessing in disguise for Muzakkir. While cycling to his institute, Muzakkir learned more about speed and manoeuvrability.
‘‘He came to learn motor-winding and I was awed by his practical skills,� says K K Makhija of the institute.