How a Garlic Farmer Turned a Dream Plane Into a Flying Diner
In a picturesque wheat field just outside the small town of Kaiyuan, a full‑scale replica of the Airbus A320 sits proudly on a tiny patch of tarmac. It’s not flying, but it’s everything a midsized junkie could ask for: big wings, a cockpit, and a menu of mouth‑watering treats.
From Onions to On‑Air
Meet Zhu Yue, a self‑taught craftsman who didn’t finish middle school. After growing onions and garlic, he worked as a welder in a local factory. One chilly fall, while staring at a flight school brochure, he had a moment of clarity: “I can’t afford a plane, but I can build one,” he told AFP.
With more than 2.6 million yuan (about S$518,000) saved, he began the project with a tiny model scaled to one‑eighth of its real size. Picture a perfectly crafted airplane in your toy box, but five times bigger and 60 tonnes of steel strong.
Building the Beast
- Design & Measurements – He studied online photos and measured every bend and angle.
- Craftsmanship – With a handful of mistakes and a few thousand bolts, he made the fuselage, wings, cockpit, engines and tail.
- Team-up – Five fellow aviation geeks and some hard‑working laborers helped speed up the build.
- Cost – The whole operation runs on a modest budget, but the final result is roughly the size of an airport terminal.
A New Kind of Leadership
Zhu isn’t planning to fly—he’s turning the aircraft into a mobile gourmet palace. “We’ll lay out a red carpet so every diner feels like a head of state,” he says proudly, with a twinkle in his eye.
The 156 original seats have been replaced by 36 first‑class chairs that promise both comfort and a sense of adventure.
A Menu That’s Still In the Air
Stirring in the culinary clouds, Zhu is still deciding whether to serve classic burgers and fries or local Chinese favorites that will knock the locals’ taste buds off. Either way, there’ll be plenty of flavor.
What’s Next?
Located just a stone’s throw from a major interstate, the A320 is waiting for hungry passengers. With a hearty hope, Zhu believes the plane will soon be full to the brim with people looking for a bite and a story.
