Rwanda wants to have its own flight training academy. They used the US at first with flight safety. 1 out of 12 passed because the school was purported as racist. The single cadet is a very talented aviator and she is an A330 pilot now. The second attempt was made in Ethiopia. After lots of fanfare, diplomatic efforts, people with medals and titles, the cadets came back with certificates and type ratings and were promptly sent back for retraining after several hundred hours of “line training” from Spaniards and west Africans that promoted themselves to line training captains while at WB. None of the “instructors” had any previous instructing experience. The last attempt to start a training academy began a few years ago. A retired WB 737 pilot tried to organize a school. The Kenyan instructors that were hired performed a coup and took over the now defunct and expensive school. The experienced instructor and CP of the academy is now back in Europe and the Kenyans are taking the Rwandans $$$. Rwanda has lots of ambition and even more pride. Sometimes pride and ego costs a lot of $$$.

Also, Rwanda repaved 2 air strips and installed a ASOS or AWOS wx station at one near the Congolese border. After several years of disuse, the field was inspected and reported to be serviceable by someone who didn’t know what a flap or rudder is. The new asphalt crumbled apart when rubbed with a size 45 boot. The wx reporting station was nowhere to be seen, although there was a security guard, sitting next to a concrete pad where said wx station was installed. You can’t make this stuff up....