US-based Group Begins Aerospace Engineering Training for Students in Kwara

Chinedu Eze

In its bid to stimulate students’ passion and interest in aircraft manufacturing and flying, a non-governmental organization, Project Sunshine, has embarked on another training of students in selected public secondary schools in Kwara State on aerospace engineering and aircraft manufacturing.

The training tagged, “Aerostem Fellowship”, which first edition was held in August last year at International Aviation College (IAC), Ilorin, was to assist students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to realize their dreams of becoming aviators and aeronautical engineers.

Project Sunshine is the brainchild of a political scientist turned pilot, Captain Idris Ekungba, who hails from Owo, Ondo State but raised in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

Hundreds of students of senior section of public secondary schools including Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, Ilorin; Ilorin Grammar School (IGS) and Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin; Government High School, Adeta, Ilorin; Baboko Community Secondary School, Ilorin; and Unilorin Secondary School, Ilorin participated in the training.

Unlike last year where selected students were camped at International Aviation College, Ilorin for few days, the current training was conducted in each school in furtherance of the fellowship.

The students were taught the processes involved in aircraft manufacturing and flying an aircraft, especially Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).

A student pilot, Musa Aliyu Damilola, who conducted the technical and practical session with the students in each school, said the participants were being enlightened on the prerequisites to build and fly an aircraft.

He explained that the training was also designed to propagate the vision of Captain Idris Ekungba of building the next generation of aviators in the country.

Damilola told journalists during the training at GSS, Ilorin that he enrolled for training in International aviation college having developed interest in the way aircraft is flown in the air in his formative years in Zaria, Kaduna State.