Kenyan drone academy founder hopes to help aspiring pilots soar

Record ID: 1609555

  • Title: Kenyan drone academy founder hopes to help aspiring pilots soar
  • Date: 31st March 2021
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (RECENT - MARCH 11, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE)(English) DRONESPACE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TONY MWANGI, SAYING: “We opened our doors on December 7 and of course that was during COVID. The moment we said that we are opening and boom we had 7 people...booking.”
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2021 12:38
  • Keywords: drone instructors drone pilots drone regulation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
  • Location: NAIROBI, KENYA / VARIOUS, RWANDA
  • City: NAIROBI, KENYA / VARIOUS, RWANDA
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Africa,Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories
  • Reuters ID: LVA007E6EX00N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: It was 2017 and Tony Mwangi had had enough of working on live shows and for advertising agencies in Kenya.
    Tony headed for South Africa, which has one of the most developed unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV sectors on the continent.
    Mwangi trained for both a pilot’s and instructor’s licence which allowed him to land jobs in various countries.
    In 2018 he decided to fly hope, hoping to get a head start in the industry before it was legal to own and operate drones in Kenya.
    “When it comes to tech, Kenya is quite advanced and one of the things I wanted to do is to actually come to Kenya and train people how to fly drones, this is because of course some people had started training in the country but I wanted it to be professional where people actually fly safely and be professional, because when you’re a professional pilot it will be easy to get a job,” Mwangi told Reuters as his students' drones buzzed in the background.
    In many African states, regulation of drone use remains highly restrictive, grounding their potential to help leapfrog infrastructure challenges. Authorities have cited security and safety concerns.
    Rwanda is a notable exception. The government has since 2016 permitted companies to harness drone technology for solutions such as transporting blood and medical supplies to remote areas.
    Last year, Rwanda's police also used drones to monitor the streets during the COVID-19 lockdown.
    Thanks to his study of regulatory systems in South Africa, Mwangi was already arming himself with the licenses, certificates, syllabus, and manual he knew would be required.
    “For most drone pilots I advise the unlicensed ones to get their licenses because it helps in terms of the law, at least you learn the regulations, then you know where to fly and where not to fly, because for us safety comes first, not just for the pilot but the people around the pilot, so even the cars, property and stuff. So one of our challenge is like really getting to know the regulations and where the line is blurry,” said Jaqueline Odhiambo, a drone instructor.
    Though Kenya began drafting regulations in 2016, it did not adopt legislation enabling drone use until last year.
    Kenya's aviation regulator also invited training institutions to apply for accreditation. Mwangi was ready.
    “We opened our doors on December 7 and of course that was during COVID. The moment we said that we are opening and boom we had 7 people...booking,” he said.
    The two-week course at Dronespace costs $1600 and includes the fee of a remote pilot's license issued by the government regulator after the course.
    It is aimed at pilots willing to invest seriously in drones to create new business opportunities or add value to their current operations.
    The steep cost is worth it for Eric Mwambaji, who manages IT operations in Africa for an international company. He says that after doing Dronespace's course he will be begin pursue a further specialization within the sector.
    “I’m looking at the potential of doing mapping, like surveying, inspections and so on. And even with what drone space is doing, who knows, there could be an opportunity to teach others how to do this.”
    Dronespace has also felt the effects of COVID-19 because it has to limit intake due to social distancing in classrooms and disinfect frequently.
    Tony Mwangi believe turbulence is an opportunity.
    “Most of the students who joined us in the first cohort were students who were actually in the drone field, who use drones to do filming, to do mapping, we actually got a few captains from Kenya Airways who wanted to add a skill. They never knew the future of the airline business. We know world over so many pilots have been retrenched, and to them they knew that it was only a matter of time. So before they get retrenched, let us get a certain skill.”
    (Jackson Njehia, Okwi Okoh, Edwin Waita)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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