VOA标准英语2010年-Kurdish Aviator Builds Plane, Flies Ov

After 19 years of experimenting - and some help from his local government - a Kurdish man has realized his childhood dream.  Nareeman Anwar Saleh has flown his home-built airplane over his home town of Irbil.

 

On a dusty, windswept runway, a small yellow and black airplane lifts into the sky.  At the controls is Nareeman Anwar Saleh, and for him, this is no ordinary flight.  This flight is the culmination¹ of months of work, several unsuccessful attempts and an indefatigable² dream.

Saleh, a 33-year-old mechanic who works on advanced car computer systems, fell in love with airplanes as a small boy.  As a 14-year-old he built a radio controlled model plane, but that was not enough to satisfy his longing³.  He continued to work and finally realized his dream of flying his own airplane over his home town of Irbil in northern Iraq.

Dream fulfilled

Saleh says it was a dream that took nearly two decades to fulfill⁴. "Children always dream of airplanes and love to see planes and I was one of those children," he said. "Since my early childhood I dreamt about planes and I endeavored to make this dream come true and it took me almost 19 years of hard work to fly a plane."

But Saleh needed some help to realize his dream.  The local Kurdish government and the governor of Irbil city helped him to enroll⁵ in aviation courses in China in 2006.  Saleh took flying lessons there and received basic instruction in aeronautics⁶.  When he returned home in 2006, Saleh built four aircraft, but he says his first three attempts were beset⁷ by problems.

"I built a number of planes but each one had some sort of problem," said Saleh. "In the first plane there was an error in the CG [Centre of Gravity] while in the second the problem was the centre of pressure and in the third it was the excessive weight. But I managed to solve all the errors in the fourth plane and succeeded in flying in the Kurdistan sky."

His local governor also helped Saleh import the engine and propeller⁸ of the plane from Germany.  Other parts came from France and Ukraine.  But the hard work and the passion came from Saleh and his team. 

The airplane itself is called a STOL CH 701 - short for "short-take-off-and-landing" - and is manufactured by Zenith Aircraft Company in the U.S. city of Mexico, Missouri.  Saleh purchased the schematics for the plane and built his aircraft from scratch.  Roger Dubbert is with Zenith Air and he says the STOL CH 701 has a variety of uses.

"Customers in the United States just use it for pleasure, but we do have the 701 used in missionary⁹ work in Central America and South America. We have even a 701 used in Tanzania to stop the poaching for elephants.  So it's used all over the world for different operations," he said.

Saleh says that his plane - called the NAZ 82 - can be used for spraying crops, for tourism and for police work. Nareeman Anwar Saleh has another dream now - to open his own school to teach other people to fly.  He also hopes to open his own factory so others can experience the joy of building and flying their own aircraft.

 

1 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

2 indefatigable   

adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的

参考例句：

• His indefatigable spirit helped him to cope with his illness.他不屈不挠的精神帮助他对抗病魔。
• He was indefatigable in his lectures on the aesthetics of love.在讲授关于爱情的美学时，他是不知疲倦的。

3 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

4 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

5 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

6 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

7 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

8 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

9 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。