Farmer flies flying saucer

A Chinese farmer has successfully completed a test flight in the flying saucer which he built in his spare time.

Shu Mansheng, 46, spent £3,000 developing his 18ft diameter octocopter which is powered by eight motorbike engines.

He did manage to get the flying saucer off the ground with his first attempt last month - but only for a few seconds.

This time, Shu achieved a controlled flight at a height of six feet for more than 30 seconds at Wuhan, Hubei Province.

The farmer, who has only a basic school education, taught himself mechanics and electronics to build the flying saucer.

It's not the first time the farmer has branched out into aviation - he built two jet planes at home, although both projects failed.