Akureyri man completes plane with help from nine-year-old daughter

A man in Akureyri has completed building his own aircraft with help from his nine-year-old daughter, mbl.is reports.

Hafþór Jónsson, who lives in Akureyri with his wife, Ásthildur Sturludóttir, and their daughter Lilja Sigríður, has now begun taking every opportunity to fly the aircraft. He was painting his house in fine weather when mbl.is called to ask about the project.

Building the aircraft was challenging, Hafþór said, as he had never done it before. He had previously built houses and boats, where measurements could be approximate, but aircraft construction required precision to within millimetres. Strict regulations apply, and the aircraft was inspected after construction was completed.

His experience as an electronics technician, engineer, fibreglass technician and ship captain proved useful. Hafþór estimates that construction took between 1,200 and 1,500 hours, with him doing most of the work alone.

“I had a fantastic aviation mechanic: my nine-year-old daughter,” he said. “She was very keen to come and be in the hangar with her father. There were times when I sent her crawling into tight spaces to tighten screws.”

Lilja Sigríður was also allowed to sit in the pilot’s seat of the aircraft her father built.

Hafþór said he now flies as often as the weather allows. He has travelled to the Mývatn district, Möðrudalur, the highlands and Patreksfjörður, among other places. He said it was worth flying to Mývatn simply to buy ástarpungar pastries from Elísabet and Villi.

He is not yet permitted to take passengers until he has completed a required number of flight hours. The aircraft has an endurance of three and a half hours.

His wife has declined to join him in flight, saying she does not like small aircraft.

“Everything about it is fascinating,” Hafþór said. “It is wonderful to be able to jump into an aircraft, feel the freedom and enjoy nature, which is nowhere more beautiful than here in the north.”

A detailed interview with Hafþór appears in Morgunblaðið’s Sunday edition.