No More Traffic Jams Please: Frustrated Indonesian Man Builds His Own Helicopter To Avoid Jams

2019-11-30 , 2:00 pm

Traffic jams are a real pain in the ass.

And I’m not talking about jam spreads made out of traffic lights.

Incorrigibly irritating and annoying, traffic jams are undeniably one of the greatest menaces to have existed in this world. In fact, I would rank them third on my all-time hate list, just after durians and Ed Woodward.

And yet, the question also begets: just how far would you go to avoid traffic jams?

For example, would you get up extra early just to hop on a smooth-sailing bus?

Or maybe, you choose to take that extra step, just so that you can get the route which guarantees zero traffic jams?

Or perhaps, just perhaps, you’ll be so pissed that you’ll do what this Indonesian man did:

Build his own helicopter in order to avoid the jam.

Running away from a problem? How about flying away from it instead?

No More Traffic Jams Please: Frustrated Indonesian Man Builds His Own Helicopter To Avoid Jams

Singapore and Malaysia might’ve had some nasty traffic jams over the years, but Indonesia’s not about to lose out anytime soon. With a notorious traffic gridlock that’s reputable for sending the most patient commuters into a spin, Indonesia has racked up quite a reputation itself.

A reputation one citizen seems quite keen on circling around, actually.

Meet Jujun Junaedi.

An all-around disbeliever in ‘tanking traffic jams’, he has decided to take matters into his own hands and construct an actual helicopter…

So that he can take to the skies and avoid traffic jams altogether.

According to Channel News Asia, the 42-year-old spends much of his free time in a backyard fiddling with his personal project, guided only by instructional videos as he seeks release above the congested roads of his hometown Sukabumi.

“It’s so incredibly frustrating. You run out of petrol and it’s a waste of time,” he said of congestion in the city, a location some 110km south of the capital Jakarta.

“You end up being totally exasperated by the time you get to where you’re going.”

Using a mixture of purchased parts, as well as scraps from his own auto repair shop, Junaedi says he has invested around 30 million rupiah (~S$2,909) on his creation since he began building it 18 months ago.

He has also roped in his young son and neighbour to assist in building the 8m-long petrol-powered chopper, which has yet to take its maiden flight.

“As long as my helicopter takes off then I’ll be satisfied,” he said.

Whether Junaedi’s project takes off will remain to be seen, but it seems that the problem’s not so much of air mobility, but mounting costs.

“When he needs money for the engine or blades, for example, it costs a lot of money,” said his wife Yeti.

“If everything is spent on this helicopter we’d have nothing left to buy food.”

Not The First

Junaedi might be the first to construct a helicopter in order to circumvent traffic problems, but he’s certainly not the first to try to build an artisanal aircraft on his own.

Two years ago, a South African man utilised corrugated iron sheets and other scraps to build a replica police helicopter.

And in 2016, a farmer in China reportedly spent three years trying, and failing, to build his own working chopper.

Now, I might not know Junaedi on a personal level, and he sure as hell doesn’t know who I am. Nevertheless, I just want to say that I relate to him on a spiritual level (traffic jams buddies) and that I earnestly hope that his pet project will take off.

To infinity and beyond, Junaedi! Make us traffic jam cynics proud!!

P.s. You can always try this nifty driving trick to unblock jams, but that’s only if you’re driving. If you’re on public transport I guess you just gotta suck thumb and hope that the driver’s a professional.

No More Traffic Jams Please: Frustrated Indonesian Man Builds His Own Helicopter To Avoid Jams

No More Traffic Jams Please: Frustrated Indonesian Man Builds His Own Helicopter To Avoid Jams

Not The First

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