Central Queensland pilot Len Neale has built his own plane and restored a piece of Queensland aviation history.
He is one of thousands of enthusiasts with home-built planes registered to fly in Australia.
His lifelong passion began when he was a child. Now 74, he still takes to the skies.
When Len Neale dons his flight goggles, he is living a dream that started when he was a boy.
The former tradesman spent his life working at power stations, while in his downtime he built an aircraft the now 74-year-old continues to fly weekly.
"You take notice of the plan, you build it right, you balance it right, and that's very crucial."
Len Neale is an "aviation nut" who even named his son after one of his planes. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Mr Neale lives in Biloela in central Queensland and is among thousands of enthusiasts with home-built planes registered to fly in Australia.
Mr Neale said his own father had always wanted to build a plane big enough to sit in.
He had even bought Irish linen with the dream of using it to cover the wings of a future project.
But Mr Neale said family life and a lack of funds got in the way.
Mr Neale decided to fulfil his father's ambition after he died in 1989, and since then he has built and restored two planes.
Len Neale's build projects. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Among these projects was "The Spirit of Smoky Creek", his amateur-built J6 Karatoo.
Mr Neale said it was based on a US design, but with an Australian Jabiru engine.