A Gen Z craftsman has turned his childhood passion for aircraft models into a career, drawing over a million followers across social media through imaginative designs.
Liu Xiangqiang, 28, has set up his model aircraft studio in his hometown in Ganzhou City, east China's Jiangxi Province, with nearly 600 different types of detailed aircraft models.
"At the beginning of this year, we just finished making a ground-effect vehicle. This is the second generation. This generation is very different from the previous one. The previous one had four propellers in the front, but now it has been changed to two in the front and two in the back," he said.
A ground-effect vehicle, also known as a wing-in-ground-effect craft, functions by leveraging the ground effect phenomenon, which involves an increase in lift and a decrease in resistance as the aircraft nears the ground or water surface.
"It can serve as a means of transportation, replacing some boats on water. and it can be used for tourism sightseeing. There is demand for this in scenic areas. Due to its relatively high speed, it can also be used for rescue operations. It can perform most of the tasks that boats can do," he said.
The ground-effect vehicle they are currently developing has undergone over 100 days of design, manufacturing, and testing by the research team, without any blueprints or physical objects. Through continuous refinement and optimization, the aircraft model has finally been created and successfully completed its maiden flight, reaching a top speed of 53 kilometers per hour.
"Compared to airplanes, it can carry a larger payload with the same power, and operate with smaller power when carrying the same payload," he said.
Driven by his passion for the model aircraft, Liu and his team have collectively created nearly 600 different types of flying machines.
Since childhood, Liu has harbored a strong interest in flying machines and enjoyed assembling toys with his own hands. One afternoon during his junior high school years, he encountered a model aircraft team conducting flight tests on the university campus, sparking a dream within him.
Since then, whenever he had free time, he taught himself aviation knowledge, continuously enriching his theoretical foundation and delving into the principles of aircraft. Gradually, he started crafting simple model aircrafts.
Liu finally realized his dream by pursuing a degree in model aircraft flight at university. Following graduation, he established a studio in his hometown, becoming a full-time model aircraft creator.
"As long as the aircraft successfully takes off or leaves the ground, there is a great sense of satisfaction and a tremendous sense of achievement. The two most satisfying moments are when the aircraft leaves the ground and when it touches the ground," he said.
Leveraging his boundless imagination and strong execution skills, Liu has garnered over a million followers across the internet. Moreover, his team generously showcases their creativity by publicly sharing design blueprints online and recording the entire process of designing and testing aircraft through videos.
"For those who have a passion for aviation, we have provided enlightenment. That is to say, we share some of my own experiences with them by this means. It can spark interest in aviation among more people and sow the seeds of dreams for aircrafts," he said.
In addition to online sharing, Liu often brings his team to local schools to voluntarily conduct popular science education, introducing basic aviation knowledge to primary and secondary school students.
"I was very curious because I had never seen this type of model before. This time, I personally got involved to experience it, and I found that there is a lot of physics knowledge involved in [the model aircraft]. I also realized that knowledge is not limited to textbooks but translates into practical operations in our real world," said Zhong Xiaoxiao, a student at Longhua Middle School in Longhua Town.
Gen Z craftsman sparks public passion for aircraft models
