Back when he was just a contractor in Saudi Arabia, he is said to have impressed impatient royal clients by wheeling in giant jet engines to blow-dry a concrete wall.

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In the centre of Misrata stands the famous sculpture of a giant fist, crushing an American fighter jet, that once adorned Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli.

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The intended market is city pairs (like Seattle-Paris) big enough to support nonstop service with a smallish jet but not big enough to fill a giant long-distance plane like the Boeing 747 or upcoming Airbus A380.

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Yet this giant is an eclectic collection of seemingly unrelated pieces--jet engines and lightbulbs, synthetic polymers and Friends sitcoms.

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Whereas in the 1960s, jet engines were long and slim, today they have a vast opening at the front containing a giant fan.

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