Sometimes Anis Pradhan would finish a 10- or 12-hour workday just to tackle another project: adjusting wheel covers, adjusting brake calipers and repairing small dents on a post-World War II single-engine airplane.
Over the years, the Torrance aircraft mechanic and flight school owner invested stolen hours into what slowly became his life's project: rebuilding and converting this former aircraft into a tool of teaching.
He had pledged to donate the plane, tools and additional parts to a nonprofit organization in his native Nepal, with the goal of training some of that nation's next generation of pilots and mechanics.
Growing up in Nepal, Pradhan said he had known few pilots or airplane mechanics. He moved to the United States as a teenager in the 1990s. His dream was to offer inspiration and guidance to dozens of aspiring Nepalese aviators.
That was until earlier this month.
The plane, four separate engines, dozens of tools, parts and the Airstream trailer in which they were stored were stolen on January 3. Video surveillance shows the thieves attaching the trailer to a white pickup truck at a storage facility in an unincorporated area near Torrance and driving away.
Ten days later, the stolen goods were found stripped and, in some cases, charred beyond recognition in Long Beach.
“It was heartbreaking to see that,” Pradhan said. “That was my life: 10 to 12 years of my life working on that plane with my own hands. “I can't believe he's gone.”
Pradhan has sought donations. “I can't wait another 10 or 12 years to finish this,” she said.
Los Angeles police are investigating the theft and destruction of property, but did not confirm Thursday whether they had any leads or suspects.
Pradhan said he had not purchased insurance for the rebuilt aircraft, a 1948 Piper PA-15 Vagabond, as he had planned to ship the plane to Nepal in March.
The plane's journey would have culminated a mission that, to Pradhan, once seemed like a pipe dream.
When he met a man named Mahabir Pun at a Nepali business meeting in the United States eight years ago, Pradhan was an experienced aviation mechanic with 20 years of experience. He had flown Cessnas in his spare time and was in the process of starting the Torrance Flight Academy.
Pun heads the National Innovation Center, founded 12 years ago and based in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, which is “dedicated to creating the culture of research and innovation in Nepal.”
The center had worked on large national projects in Nepal, such as creating software to reduce blind spots for truckers, installing solar-powered water heaters and converting animal waste into high-quality fertilizers.
Pradhan said Pun recruited him to help address the need for qualified pilots in the country.
Nepal Civil Aviation Authority noted in december that air travel had boomed in the country over the past 25 years.
Air passenger movement within the country increased by 364% during that time. The nation also saw the arrival of 1 million tourists by plane in 2023.
The country needs more pilots to meet that demand, according to Nepalese media reports.
At that time, Pradhan had already been rebuilding the Vagabond, which he planned to use personally.
“The goal was to contribute to my community, to provide a service that is not offered much despite the growing need,” Pradhan said.
For Pradhan, the theft and destruction of his plane not only destroyed a dream, but also the opportunity to help his fellow Nepalese.
“That is what hurts the most, more than the thousands of hours of work and sacrifice lost,” he said. “That's something I might not get over.”
