Every St. Louis Spirits R/C Flying Club member we know has an insatiable itch for building model airplanes and flying them. It is an itch that must be scratched. Now imagine being a welding student living in Kabba, Kogi, Nigeria. Your a student with the same insatiable itch for flight but you really don’t have the resources to purchase the basic materials, electronics, batteries, and tools to build the airplanes that are bouncing around in your head.
The other day I was surfing around on Facebook and ran across a young man named Kehinde Adebayo on one of the many Warbird discussion forums I belong to, “Warbird Addicts”. He was proudly sharing photographs of one of his latest creations that had recently been painted silver. To my shock, there were several people being super critical of the plane in an almost condescending way. I on the other hand was inspired by the kid. I have literally forgotten what it is like to have to use my wits to solve model airplane design and construction problems on a limited budget and with almost no resources. Forget the fact that I have always had access to a local hobby shop and fellow flyers to help me work through challenges in addition to a disposable income. For the last decade, my approach has been that there isn’t a model aviation problem I come across these days that can’t be solved by digging through my elaborate parts wall or buying something at the local hobby shop or online to be delivered to my house tomorrow. That is not an option for Kehinde since the closest hobby shop is hundreds of kilometers away and he is literally the only flyer in his town. Everything Kehinde does requires creative acquisition for building materials, supplies, and problem solving.
Some Examples from his Hangar:
Kehinde has completed several projects and has graciously shared some images with us:
He could use our support:
Kehinde doesn’t have access to the resources that we do and could use our support. He would love to teach some friends to build and fly but doesn’t have the parts or gear to do so. I have chatted with him several times and obtained his address in Kabba and am planning to send him a care package.
Some of the things that he could use would be:
- Electronics. ESC’s, Servos, motors, etc.
- Batteries / Chargers. He currently flies many of his birds on a SINGLE 2200mah 3S LIPO and one cell is bad on it. His charger has some issues and takes quite a bit of time to charge as well.
- Propellers. 10×6, 10×7, 7×5 etc.
- Miscellaneous Hardware / Parts. Wheels, clevises, blind nuts, screws, etc. Anything would be great. Think of all the things we use on a plane. He needs it.
Electricity in Nigeria is 220V 50hz and they use adapters type D and G. If you are thinking about a charger etc you can find out more Nigerial electrical information here:
What can we do?
If you are interested in helping out, there is a lot you can do. Personally I am going to go through my hobby stuff and look for items that are not being used that Kehinde could utilize. If you would like to do the same, contact me at ralph@thegrantz.com and let me know. My plan is to put together a simple care package and make sure that he gets it. Once we verify that he receives what I send him I will put together a larger and more elaborate package. Lets get this kid in the air. I can’t wait to see what he can do with some resources from our club helping him get rolling…
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill
