When mere mortal men gaze upon the playground jungle gym, they see the unhinged tomfoolery of their youth. When Chinese farmer Wu Zhongyuan sees one he says, "I can make that fly." Updated
And he did, to an incredibly impressive 2,600 feet before Chinese authorities grounded him for "safety reasons."
The rig, comprised of metal bars, a motorcycle engine and wooden rotors, cost him a mere $1,600. He has no formal aviation training, but still managed to assemble the rickety beast using a recollection of middle school physics courses and "relevant knowledge [found while] surfing the Internet via my mobile phone." As a blogger, I can relate.
Update: Correct, fair commenters. In the original article it's stressed he "claimed" an altitude of 2,600 feet. Shenanigans until we see a video, I agree.
Update 2: More credibility: Apparently Chinese farmers make homemade helicopters all the time! [Ananova via DVICE]