DESERT AIRE — Cliff Naser has had a passion for flying for many years. In 2002 he began building his own airplane. It finally took to the air last week in test flights at the Desert Aire Airport.

“It was a little anti-climactic because I worked on it so long,” Naser said.

He started the project when he was 61 years-old. He finished it shortly after his 76th birthday. Darrin Jackson, of Jackson Aviation at the Moses Lake Municipal Airport, conducted the test runs.

“I would have done it if I had been more comfortable with it,” Naser said. “Darrin has a lot more experience than me — It felt good to see it fly away.”

Naser is a retired construction worker from the Hanford Reservation. After which he built a home and a hangar while volunteering on airport projects, and spending time as airport commissioner, and that’s why it took him 15 years to build a plane that is supposed to only take 750 hours to complete.

The airport was one of the main reasons he relocated to Desert Aire. He bought his Zenith 701, single engine, 2-seat sport plane kit in Missouri shortly before moving to town.

All told, Naser spent roughly $40,000 to build the craft. It’s a short takeoff and landing plane, which designates it to the experimental category. The all-aluminum plane is yet to be painted.

“I had to see if it was going to fly first before I went through all that work,” Naser said.

The plane is designed to take off in 90 feet with two people aboard, 45 feet with a pilot only.

“That’s shorter than my hangar,” Naser said. “It’s really light. That’s why it goes up so fast.”

The aircraft has a top speed of 95 miles per hour and cruises at 85. It has been inspected and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. And because Naser was the builder, he was given a repairman’s certificate to be able to maintain it.

The test flight period isn’t complete, however. By FFA rules, Naser has to fly the plane solo for 40 hours and he can’t go more than 75 miles from the airport during that time period.

His first passenger, Naser said, will be his wife of 50 years, Ruth. Flying around the Northwest for them he said, will be like taking a Sunday drive.