Cameroon Flying Labs Enhances Urban Management with Drone Training Program

By Cameroon Flying Labs

Cameroon Flying Labs considers training one of its core missions. It firmly believes that building technical skills and sharing experience is paramount in conducting a risk-free drone mission to protect people and goods and preserve our environment.

As part of the capacity-building for inclusive and resilient urban management initiative put in place by the World Bank to improve connectivity and living environment in cities all around the world, the Cameroonian Ministry of Domains, Cadastre and Land Affairs (MINDCAF) was granted, through the PDVIR (Programme du Dévelopement des Villes Inclusives et Résilientes) program, two DJI Matrice 300. Cameroon Flying Labs had the privilege of conducting a 10-day training for the MINDCAF technical staff in operating the two DJI M300S. The training spanned from the 25th of April to the 5th of May, 2023. It was split into two parts: the theoretical part at the MINDCAF Computer Science Labs and the practical part at The University of Yaounde soccer field.

The training was aligned with ICAO SARPs and the Cameroon CAA regulations in drone operations so the trainees would be better equipped with tools to help them in their future missions. The theoretical part included a history of aviation, drone controls, drone regulations, airspace management, risk management, and safety culture with practical, real-life scenarios and experiences. The practical part included basic piloting skills, flying using a DJI fly simulator, creating and using a pre-flight checklist, manual flights for mapping, and data processing using PIX4DMapper to generate a 2D map.

The trainees were first exposed to drones' history and applications during the training to spark their interest. Later on, we delved deep into real-life drone operations on the field, where the trainees were taught how to prepare and follow a pre- and post-flight checklist for a safe operation, to use mapping software such as PIXDMapper to produce and interpret a map, and to enhance the map quality by making use of RTK-GNSS. Armed with these skills and tools, we are confident that the trainees can perform risk-free drone operations.

We were so pleased to share knowledge and experience mutually with the trainees. We learned a lot from each other, and to cement their technical skills, we recommend that they refresh them regularly.

We thank the MINDCAF for providing us with all the materials needed for this training. We believe it was sufficient for the trainees to operate the DJI MATRICE 300 safely and appropriately and that the drone training provided will make the PDVIR program successful.