Morris Gachamba
Born
Known forFirst Kenyan to build an airplane

Morris Gachamba (born 1932) is a basement mechanic in Kenya, a country in East Africa. Gachamba is known for having built and flown his own plane in 1968.[1][2]

Plane project

In the 1960s, Gachamba became friends with an English tourist he would go out fishing with. The tourist owned a small plane and took Gachamba out for a short trip around Lake Naivasha. Gachamba became enamored with flying and soon wanted to build his own. Come the 1970s, he became the first Kenyan to build an airplane.[3]

Education

Gachamba dropped out of Kenya's Standard Four after Ambrose Wambugu, a Maths teacher beat him for not being able to answer a question on addition of fractions. He has commented on his education experience, "“I was never one to remember things easily and that made me a bad student."[3] But, that hasn't turned him off the idea of becoming a teacher. He's said, “I would really like students to come and learn from me. I have a lot of practical knowledge and I want to leave it to them.”[3]

References

  1. "Kenyan who made and flew aeroplane".
  2. "Ear‐to‐ground". Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. 39 (12): 36. 1967. doi:10.1108/eb034325.
  3. 1 2 3 "Mechanic who made a 'plane' eyes 'Hummer'".
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