Welcoming Madagascar to the Flying Labs Network!

Did you know that delivery drones are being used in Madagascar to transport essential medicines to 30+ health facilities in the most hard-to-access region of the country? They delivered Polio vaccines just yesterday, for example. The team behind this impressive work is the same one leading Madagascar Flying Labs. Together, they directly contribute to Madagascar's economic development by designing, assembling, testing, and repairing all their drones in Madagascar (rather than Silicon Valley). The team has also created local jobs indirectly. For instance, the parachutes and cardboard boxes they use for the drone deliveries are also made in Madagascar. The team first started years ago by offering drone survey and mapping services, which is why they also have deep expertise in photogrammetry and GIS. In recent years, the team expanded its drone services to include deliveries. We're thrilled to welcome them to the Flying Labs network and excited to share their expertise with 25+ other labs around the world, and vice versa!

So who exactly is on the team leading Madagascar Flying Labs? 

Reasa is an aeronautical engineer, specialized in regulations and aviation operational safety. He has substantial experience in regulatory frameworks for aerodrome activities, air navigation, aircraft operations and airworthiness, personnel licensing, management of safety and security, and the operations of remotely piloted aircraft systems in civil aviation. He also trains drone operators and professionals to bring their services into compliance with national and international requirements recommended by ICAO.

Stephane has lived and worked across Madagascar for nearly 25 years now. He is the founder of AerialMetric, a French/Malagasy company that offers a wide range of aerial solutions, primarily in Madagascar. Over the past half-decade, AerialMetric has focused its efforts on developing drone-based delivery solutions for 1) Emergency Relief and 2) Health System Strengthening. 

Tolotra is an aviation technical operating officer by training. At AerialMetric, he serves as one of the drone operators/pilots, in charge of programming our flights, preparing/checking the drones before every flight, monitoring the flights, and analyzing the various logs after every flight.

Olivier is an environmentalist who pioneered ecotourism in North East Madagascar for 20 years now. He is also active in wildlife conservation for both terrestrial and marine protected areas. As a scuba diver and underwater photographer, he has taken numerous pictures that show the biodiversity of Madagascar. More generally, Olivier is deeply passionate about using new technology inclusively and responsibly to support sustainable development projects that benefit local communities.