The Sunderland doctor who built an aeroplane in his garage

A Sunderland doctor had a very different way of relaxing after work back in the 1970s.

Dr Ridley Kendal prescribes building your own two-seater plane to relax you - at least it worked for him.

A great way to ease tension

He was a member of Sunderland Flying Club and reckoned he had found a cure for the tension that builds up at work.

For two-and-a-half-years, Dr Kendal has regularly replaced his stethoscope with a spanner, and left his surgery for his garage.

He built a plane in his garage

In the garage, specially built, he built his own Cavalier plane which successfully completed its test flight at Sunderland Airport in 1976.

Dr Kendal, who had been a pilot for five years by then, got his final clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority to get it fully operational.

Tell us about your hobbies

The doctor said he found the time spent in the workshop very relaxing, and a perfect way to wind down.

He also told the Sunderland Echo that building a plane had been a progression from making model planes in his youth.

The only difference was that model planes did not have a 500 mile range.

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