03 Mar 2021

 He earns his keep in the sky albeit not literally, but behind remote controls of a light model aircraft and drones designed and perfected by him.

A graduate of the University of South Wales in the United Kingdom, 29-year-old Thero Matenge of Otse is among the first young Batswana to qualify as Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.

His interest in aeronautical solutions as a career was triggered when his parents bought him a toy airplane as a present. This marked the beginning of the long grinding road to a profession which was hitherto unconquered and virtually non-existent among Batswana, especially the youth.

“I read through the little books and frequented libraries researching the subject. I was mostly fascinated by building aircraft but since the course was not available, I settled for aircraft maintenance,” reminisced Mr Matenge in an interview.

He was however not limited by this but rather continued to learn more about designing and flying a model airplane.

“It was in 2008, I was doing form 3 at the time where I endeavoured to build a model airplane that could fly for my final year project. At the time my level of understanding in aerodynamics was already at a certain degree which at least had the airplane off the ground into the high trees,” he explained.  

Mr Matenge said for BGCSE in 2010 he undertook additional mathematics which was a moderate form of engineering mathematics that impelled his understanding of aerospace.

Upon completing his BGCSE he joined the University of Botswana where he said he got the influence of scientists under the Bachelor of Science, a course he enrolled in.

Two years into his studies at the University of Botswana, Mr Matenge said he was awarded a scholarship to go and study in the United Kingdom, a course designed to last three years.

He said while in the United Kingdom he was exposed to aircraft maintenance; citing that he would often purchase model parts of an airplane and assemble them to come up with a fully developed model ready to fly.  

Mr Matenge said his interest propelled him to tap into making model parts used in building drones and model airplanes.

Upon completion in 2015, Mr Matenge said it proved difficult for the government to offer him and his other colleagues’ employment as they were said to be overqualified for the market. However this did not limit him from earning a living from his hard earned skills.

Mr Matenge underlined that having been exposed to First Person View (FPV) hobby, where one flies a model airplane wearing goggles that give a scenic view and creates a realistic view to the game, he adopted the concept to start his business Aeronautical Solutions.

He said from this, he realised that flying toys could become useful technology in addressing a lot of problems including anti-poaching and security issues to mention but a few.  Mr Matenge reiterated that in his Unmanned Ariel Vehicle he manufactured Multi-Rota drones which include surveillance drones; wildlife and human conflict drones solutions; Anti-poaching drone solutions; security services drones; drone pilot training and consultancy in the drone industry and drone development and maintenance.

He said since setting up the business he had been tasked with doing a lot of pitching particularly to government departments to get a buy-in of his concept and adopt the solutions envisaged to help solve problems within the society.

 Mr Matenge said his greatest achievements since inception included among others being the Best Overall Exhibitor at the 2016 Youth Business Expo; the first position in the science innovation and technology category at the Youth Business Expo in 2017 and 2018.

Moreover, he said, he was one of the Botswana Innovation Fund beneficiaries during the first call for funding. He highlighted that the fund enabled him to work on Unmanned Ariel System with a built control station for military, security, and industrial applications using fixed-wing drones.

Mr Matenge said he expanded his services by adding consultancy and training services for people looking to learn how to operate and fly drones for private use.

He noted that with his built simulators he was capable to provide training for students who were set to go for piloting lessons in future, as a way of giving students of what an ideal cockpit feels like and the technological comprehension that comes with it.

He said over and above the services he offered in his company, the specialised drones could practically be used again for emergency transportation of medicines and injections.

Mr Matenge underlined that his line of trade was mostly dependent on the specific outcome or purpose that a client required. 

However, he reiterated that the practicability of the said benefit shall always suffice.

He mentioned that he had come across an individual that wished to use a drone to spray ploughing fields with insecticides, something that he deemed impractical and expensive looking at the technology inputs employed in developing a drone. 

“We live in a very sophisticated global environment that takes innovative minds to build customised solutions to address social ills, therefore, perseverance equals success when we chase and nurture our dreams,” he said. Ends