A day in the life of a Kenya pilot chartering 'heli-safaris' - Business Insider

  • 📰 BusinessInsider
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 93 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 40%
  • Publisher: 51%

Malaysia News News

A day in the life of a pilot in Kenya who juggles chartering the wealthiest 1% and celebrities like Sir David Attenborough on 'heli-safaris' with crop-spraying and rescue missions (by markjellwood)

in Nanyuki in northern Kenya. Born and brought up in the area, where his father was a crocodile hunter who turned to fish farming, he's been involved in aviation on and off ever since he left school at 15.Roberts started working for a local farmer handling machine maintenance at his various farms, and learned to fly to make it quicker and easier to commute between the far-flung locales.

to fly over the insects in the early morning while they're still roosting; they won't usually take off looking for food until around 10 a.m.Prepping the helicopter."You fly through an area and look for vegetation where everything's red, the color of the locusts. You can see where a swarm is straightaway," he said.

Roberts usually sprays for four or five hours, returning regularly to the airstrip to refuel and replenish his supply of chemicals. The dangers occur if the locusts take off and begin to bombard the plane. He's already flown a handful this year, his first operating them with the travel specialist, and more are booked as travel continues to return in 2021.Roberts offers two kinds of trips via Roar Africa. There are the half- or full-day adventures, which range around his local region in northern Kenya, for $8,500 and $15,000 respectively for up to five adults.

"They're expensive trips, but these are out-of-the-way places that very few people get to see," he said. A 10-day journey like this starts around $76,000 per person for a couple.Roberts and Sir David Attenborough.Mostly, though, he'll be idle during the height of the day — and the heat — but that isn't always the case. If he isn't taking wealthy guests on day-long heli-safaris, he could instead be working with a documentary film crew.

Some of his rescue missions have been even riskier. Roberts has long worked with independent medical humanitarian organization"They're one of the most effective NGOs anywhere, and so quick to respond," he said. He dropped staff in Mozambique duringas a result of cyclones Idai and Kenneth. "They jump out of the helicopter with rucksacks and no idea where they'll sleep and just start fixing people up," he said.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

markjellwood Africans are looking and heading to the Western world for survival while the West sees lots of potential wealth in Africa.

markjellwood ❤️🤗

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 729. in MY

Malaysia Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Malaysia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Inside the SolarWinds cyberattacks – FireEye leader explains discovery - Business InsiderInside the discovery of the massive SolarWinds cyberattacks: FireEye's top expert explains how his team found a 'needle in a haystack of needles'
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

What it's like inside a Pakistani soccer ball factory in Sialkot - Business InsiderAlmost 70% of the world's soccer balls are made in one city in Pakistan — here's what it's like inside one of the factories Bendita esa ciudad I’m still smiling! it’s been so beneficial trying someone new. The step take couldn’t be much better. So glad I came across lisaMakT
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Inside Michelob's pandemic marketing strategy that's boosted sales - Business InsiderMichelob Ultra's sales have soared even as people ditch beer. Here's how the brand has catered to health-focused consumers in the pandemic. 90% of news about covid and trump
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Inside the wealthy's weird, pricey pandemic purchases - Business InsiderBusiness Insider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Photos show pro-Trump rioters inside Senate chamber - Business InsiderBusiness Insider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know. Where tf is police?
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Photos show the destruction inside of the US Capitol Building - Business InsiderBusiness Insider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know. Attempted coup? You mean that band of idiots taking selfies wanted to take over the government?
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »