An 18-year-old African boy named Vidiol Tsague who builds airplanes and drones from scratch with local material has been honored with a scholarship to study for an Engineering degree in the university.

Vidiol, a Cameroonian, has gained attention through videos posted on his Tiktok showcasing his talent in building homemade planes and drones made solely from locally sourced materials.

He has been working on designing and creating an airplane prototype for over eight years. He collects cardboard, cartons, wires, and other local materials that he uses in making them.

Vidiol had to drop out of secondary school 3 years ago due to the armed conflict between two regions in the country and also financial difficulties.  Even though he is from a family of just four children, their parents still cannot afford to provide their basic needs.

In most videos that he posts on his TikTok account, he would fly drones and planes that are about 2 meters long along the streets. He uses a remote control to pilot the plane and make it fly a few feet away and then back again to a safe landing.

Vidiol was granted an opportunity to fly the prototype of his remote-controlled airplane in the presence of government officials in Yaounde, Cameroon. The prototype was able to fly after the officials supported him with a battery.

With his exceptional skills, he has won the hearts of many, including organizations and government officials who showed interest in his craft. He was awarded a scholarship by an organization for him to complete his education and also pursue his dream.

Vidiol stated that he wishes to study engineering at the university and learn how to make real airplanes that humans ride to fly long distances.

In a similar story, a 20-year-old Nigerian man named David Opateyibo has successfully invented a locally made flying drone that could fly a few minutes in the air.

David built Nigeria’s first locally made drone at the age of 17 as reported by FACE2FACE. He led a team of Lagos State Polytechnic students to produce the country’s first drone prototype, which Lagos authorities hope to deploy for security surveillance.

He has always been passionate about technology and aircraft since he was a kid. He started out creating airplanes from paper, cardboard, and other readily available materials which led him to enroll in the International College of Aeronautics, Nigeria for aircraft building technology (ABT).