Those Magnificent Men...
Joshua
Josh and Jack are both pilots at Loisaba:
Josh, who is from Kiambu, an area of tea plantations, has
always wanted to be a pilot.
“Ever since I was a little chap, strolling around in a
diaper, I have been fascinated by anything that flies. Lego was always turned
into a snazzy plane or a helicopter, which I would ‘fly’ around the garden,
noises and all. Seeing children brought to school (Pembroke House School) by
aeroplane fuelled my passion for flying even more. I used to go flying with my
uncle when he had a free seat; I could hardly see over the dashboard but I still
wanted to grab the controls.”
Once I was old enough I went to San Diego in the United States to learn how to fly. It’s much more efficient – and cheaper -to do your training there where the planes are all in good working order than in Kenya. I’ve just recently gone back to train in flying helicopters with Jerry Trimble Helicopters and can recommend!”
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| Credit: Jerry Trimble |
Jack (Jackson) was inspired by seeing Captain Lempatu, flying aeroplanes over his village as he carried out patrols and operational duties for the Northern Rangelands Trust.
“He is my role model, and I usually consult him about any
aviation concerns.”
“My initial fees were paid by well-wishers in the Maasai community-run
Il’Ngwesi Conservancy and later the balance of my school fees was cleared by
Loisaba after I joined them as a Security Ranger.”
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| Jack |
As you can imagine, both men love flying and happy to have any excuse to be up in the air. “Flying for me is just so freeing. It’s 100% where I am happiest. Being able to hop in the plane gives me a completely different perspective on everything and it makes getting from A to B so much more enjoyable for me,” says Josh. By way of example it takes just 30 minutes to get to Nanyuki by plane compared to three hours by road although both journeys can be bumpy!
Piloting duties range from anti-poaching patrols – and
Loisaba has had no instances of poaching since 2017 – tracking down stolen
stock (both for Loisaba and the community), tracking migratory elephants and,
in Josh’s case, using his own aeroplane, transportation to and from meetings,
police and Kenyan Wildlife Service purposes. Josh has also done a few medical
flights in and out of Nanyuki – the most recent for a guest who had broken his
arm quite badly. Josh says the C185 is also useful for picking up chicks but is
yet to find a nice wife (this IS an advert!).
Whilst Jack is looking forward to getting his commercial licence, Josh is looking forward to being able to use his newly-acquired helicopter licence and being able to offer helicopter safaris to guests.
There are some serious administrative and maintenance duties
that also have to be carried out such as compiling daily and monthly aerial
reports, pre-flight checks and regular servicing, ensuring that the aeroplane
is kept clean and always has enough fuel and oil for unexpected journeys. The
airstrip, which is flat grassland, must also be kept clear of potholes, debris,
and animals seeking new accommodation.
For Josh the greatest challenge comes from the flying
conditions:
“For conservation work we have to deal with flying at a low
level over a landscape which is at high altitude where the hot conditions
create strong winds. It’s all great fun and keeps you on your toes.” He adds
that in Kenya pilots have to keep a close eye on the standard of servicing and
have a lot of knowledge themselves as the engineers haven’t always got the same
breadth of experience because they tend to be based in remote places working
for smaller organisations than say in North America.” Jack says it’s also
important to remember that pilots are human and can make errors – they always
have to be supremely focused before, during and after a flight.
Jack gets the most satisfaction out of an early morning
flight when he finds that there are no problems on the Conservancy and Josh
gets the most pleasure out of the conservation flying too but he looks forward
to a cold frothy beer in the evening when he’s sure that he won’t be flying until
the next day. Both men have to be prepared to fly at very short notice:
“We try to keep the plane fully ready the night before so
that if something does pop up we aren’t strolling around picking our noses.
It’s a hop in and get going situation.”
Outside of work, Jack, like almost everyone at Loisaba,
likes football (he’s an Arsenal fan) but he also likes reading novels and
watching movies. He is a fan of investigative documentaries. Josh is an
inveterate explorer and keen to go to the Kenyan Coast and Baringo so that he
can enjoy his favourite water sports – Kite Surfing, Water Skiing and
Wakeboarding. He supports the English Rugby Team when they are on form.
Jack is a fan of gospel music whilst Josh likes any sort of
music except heavy metal which he says makes his eyes spin and gives him a
headache.
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