Page 70 - World Airnews Magazine January 2021 Edition

NEWS DIGITAL

THE DIFFERENCE A SPIDER

MAKES IN EAST AFRICA

2009. Having flown the Bantam for around 400 hours, Derek had
made enough money to buy a brand new Bat Hawk in 2013.
Malawi is a small but densely populated country in East
Africa. It lies near the southern end of the continent, tucked HOURS AND HOURS NEXT TO A SPIDER
between Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. A large lake, Lake Eleven years after entering into aerial surveying, Derek is in a much
Malawi, takes up 1/5 of its land space. stronger position. Today, he owns a consulting firm, Cluny, that
The lake is one of the major features of the East African Rift specializes in providing specialist aerial services to the wildlife and
System, which stretches just under 4,000km from the Afar agricultural industries in Malawi.
Triangle in Ethiopia, to its termination on the East African Coast Derek's work for agriculture predominately revolves around
of Mozambique. It's the cause of a diverse landscape, with plains, agronomic surveys for the tobacco industry, Malawi's major cash
plateaus, escarpments, and mountains. The highest peak in Malawi crop. Most of Malawi's 18 million people are still rural, and so
is Mulanje Massif, which rises sharply to nearly 10,000ft from farming is a primary industry. Agronomy is the science of crop
surrounding plains. At the other end of the altitude spectrum, producing.
parts of the Lower Shire Valley lie at only 100ft above sea level. "I help the tobacco industry evaluate the Burley tobacco crop at
Consequently, in Malawi, pilots experience an enormous variation its very early stages of development each year. I help them forecast
in altitude. the size of the crop at nursery stage before it is actually planted
Derek Macpherson has been flying in Southern and East Africa out into the field. To do that, I use an aerial survey technique,"
since 1997, when he was just 27 years old. Before owning an Derek explains.
aviation business, Derek worked in the region’s wildlife sector. Derek also works for the wildlife industry, doing everything
In 2008, after an especially difficult year, Derek travelled to South from game counting and supporting law enforcement, to aerial
Africa and used his last $2,000 to lease a New Zealand designed surveillance collecting information pertinent to wildlife manage-
and South African assembled Bantam three axis microlight, from ment. Most recently, September 2020, he conducted an aerial
Micro aviation SA in Nelspruit. wildlife census of Kasungu National Park which features 2,300
The Bantam is the forerunner of the Bat Hawk Light Sport square kilometres of Miombo woodland, and is the second largest
Aircraft, a super-light aircraft suitable for bush flying, with short protected area in Malawi. This survey took in excess of 70 airborne
field landing and take-off capabilities. After securing a lease from hours to complete. Hence, Derek spends hours and hours sitting
the Pappas family who own Micro aviation SA, Derek flew his next to his Spider.
father with him back to Malawi. Derek uses three types of aircraft for his work. He has a
"My dad is not an aviator,” Derek explains, “So, picture a 72-year fixed-wing, single-engine Bat Hawk, makes use occasionally of a
old man who is not keen on flying an open cockpit airplane, flying Savannah LSA, and also has a RAF 2000, a two-seat gyrocopter, or
six days along the South African Coast. We actually had a ball." autogyro, which is powered by a Subaru motor.
It was a different time for Derek back then. "I use the gyro extensively,” says Derek, “I like it because once
"I completely ran out of money halfway home at Beira, it's airborne, it handles very much like a helicopter. I can practically
Mozambique. I had to ask my father to pay for the fuel to get back hover, and that makes my life a lot easier when I'm counting
to Malawi!” whatever it is that needs to be counted."
He received his first survey job that same month - September Today, Cluny is the Malawian dealer for RAF Gyrocopters, Bat

World Airnews | January Extra 2021
— 23 —