Couple begin adventure in tiny plane

LANTANA, Fla., March 31 (UPI) -- A German couple have departed from a Florida airport for a three-year adventure in a tiny kit-built airplane that can only carry 200 pounds of luggage.

Experienced pilot Detlef Heun and fiancee Liliana Tagliamonte, who recently obtained her pilot's license, took off Monday from Lantana Airport on trip that is to include a wedding in the Bahamas, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

Heun said the plan is to fly the small plane, which the couple purchased as a kit and assembled over the course of three years, from island to island in the Caribbean before turning around in Brazil to turn their attentions to the north.

"Every small space is used," Heun said of the aircraft. "We're sitting here on our clothes and sleeping bags. There's not much room for anything else. We can only carry 200 pounds."

The couple said they packed tents and a small stove but plan to stay in other people's homes during their tour as a cost-cutting measure.

"It's one thing to jump from one international airport to another, (but we're) landing at the smaller airstrips and spending time in the communities," Heun said. "All you know are the fuel station and the customs personnel at the (international airports). You can't get to know anything about the people and their cultures."