Ljubiša Miletić, a self-taught master and craftsman from the village of Skorica near Ražanj, is known throughout the entire Nišava district and beyond. His skilled hands know over 100 trades, and these days, he is finishing the construction of a real marvel – a helicopter. It has been his dream since his military days.
“I’ve been building it for twenty years, and I think it will be operational in a year. It’s a labor of love, and I made the frame from thin-walled pipes, specifically from car exhausts, because they’re a millimeter thick to make it as light as possible. I used the gearbox from a Mi-8 Russian military helicopter that I found at a scrapyard, and it was brand new,” Ljubiša told the RINA agency.
This hardworking, self-taught master from Ražanj managed to create a real aircraft that many engineers and pilots would envy.
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“I learned a lot by reading literature and through advice from engineers, and everything was done according to the blueprint. I have drawings that I followed, except for the frame which I made as I imagined it, according to my own idea,” said Miletić.
Ljubiša doesn’t hide the fact that finished parts were found discarded at landfills as secondary raw materials, so the pilot’s seat was taken from the famous Fiat 600. However, even though he’s been building it for two decades, he hasn’t yet taken off with it and soared into the heights. The last time he turned on the propellers was two years ago.
“I couldn’t lift it because of the friction I had. Besides, it’s not the same when you turn on the propeller above your head, and you get a creepy feeling. So even when I do fly, I don’t want to fly high, just enough to lift a meter off the ground to be at a safe height,” added the man from Ražanj.
It was known from a young age that Ljubiša would be a great craftsman when he made an entire wooden tractor at just 12 years old.
“I first started making engines, then cars and other vehicles. Later, I went to the army until I first saw a helicopter in 1972, and since then, it has been in my head every day, and I started dreaming about it,” concluded master Ljubiša.
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Izvor: RINA
Foto: RINA