Led by Cathay Pacific pilot Hank Cheng, and with support from the Inspiration team, the first-ever homebuilt aircraft certified to fly under Hong Kong registration - B-KOO Inspiration - took off from Hong Kong International Airport for the first time on 15 November 2015, marking an exciting moment for Hong Kong aviation. Growing up in Hong Kong, Hank Cheng had always dreamed of building his own ai
rcraft locally and flying it around the world. Part of his dream has become a reality, along the way involving hundreds of local students and many engineers and pilots from Cathay Pacific. The kit-built RV-8 single-engine aircraft was designed by Van’s Aircraft Inc, and is one of the most popular amateur-built planes with an excellent safety record. Paul’s Convent School and engineers from Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) to construct the aircraft. The Inspiration team had to adhere to stringent construction and operational standards. The operational certification, pre-flight testing and risk assessments were all fully documented by the team to demonstrate the airworthiness of “Inspiration” and ensure its safe operations.
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After 7 years of aircraft building and 40 hours of flight tests in Australia in the 8th year, Inspiration has come back to Hong Kong to prepare for the 3-month Inspiration RTW journey from August to November 2016. Starting and ending in Hong Kong, Inspiration will fly across all meridians, most latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles, covering approximately 55,000km. Inspiration will stop in around 50 airports of 25 countries*, including Australia, USA, Great Britain, Italy and many more!
