Engineers embark on making helicopters locally

Engineers in Tanzania have embarked on a history making mission by assembling a Tanzanian made helicopter.

According to a report by All Africa, the country's engineers have started building the country's first set of locally made choppers.

"We are complementing President Magufuli's industrialisation policy in pioneering the first locally made helicopters that will be available to ordinary residents at affordable prices," explained the man behind the ATC chopper project, Engineer Abdi Mjema.

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Also speaking on the development, the Tanzanian Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ms Maimuna Tarishi, expressed delight at the project.

"We are contacting the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) for the permission to fly the chopper for trials. The Tanzania-made helicopters will fly before 2020 -- and specifically 2018, which is two years from now," said Engineer Mjema.

Already, the prototype model, a two-seater aircraft is in its final stages of completion at the Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Arusha Technical College, which runs a fully-fledged factory producing various forms of machinery, including a prototype motor vehicle and a number of industrial engines.

It was further gathered that the idea was hatched two months ago by two engineers at the Arusha Technical College; Engineer Adisai Msongole, now serving as the ATC Bursar, and Engineer Abdi Mjema.