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About Us

TEAM

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JAY GODSALL:
CEO

Jay Godsall has 40 years of research and development experience in airships for Africa, from his thesis at McGill University to running Solar Ship in Canada for over 15 years.

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MICHEL RUGEMA:
COO

Michel Rugema has over 10 years experience managing Solar Ship operations in Canada. He has a Masters in Hospitality Management from Cornell University.

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WILFRED MAWALLA:
DIRECTOR

Wilfred Mawalla is a partner with Mawalla Advocates in Arusha. He is one of the leading Tanzanian advocates for project finance, joint ventures, investment services, trusts and foundations, with a particular passion for tourism and conservation.

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BRANDON MCLAUGHLIN:
FLIGHT OPERATIONS

Brandon McLaughlin is the world’s most experienced solar airship pilot. He leads the training program for Tanzanian pilots, ground crew and maintenance crew.

VALUES

Solar Ship operates in a culture of improvement with three pillars of operations:

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HEALTH

All team members, club members, stakeholders and crew must feel their health is our priority - not just before launching a flight mission to ensure safety, but as a continual priority.

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SAFETY

All aviation operations must have safety as their top priority. A culture of safety starts with proven Standard Operating Procedures. Safety improves with persistent technical data collection, continual feedback from team members, club members, and stakeholders. Data and feedback are shared with our technical team who diagnoses specific areas of improvement. Each proposed improvement goes through a rigorous process of Test and Evaluation before being adopted. This process builds the culture of improvement.

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RESPECT

All attempts to improve operations must listen to team members, club members, and stakeholders. Iconic Natural Areas are home to unique cultures with strong beliefs where listening campaigns are more important than advertising campaigns. Listening must include young and old people, conservative and radical. Listening must include continuous learning about how nature is changing and how Solar Ship’s aircraft can be used to help people, plants, animals and ecosystems adjust to change.

VOWELS OF THE ICONIC NATURAL AREA COMMUNITY

Just as vowels are the foundation for words in our language, these vowels are the foundation of our values for the INAs we operate in.

ACCESS

A

Transport systems designed to operate sustainably in INAs – no use of fossil fuels and ability to access areas with no roads.

ENERGY

E

Self-reliant power able to operate regardless of local grid capabilities – immune to blackouts, brownouts, load shedding.

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INTERNET

I

Wide area wireless networks able to provide video conferencing and IoT services to connect local stakeholders with global resources.

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OPERATIONS

O

Operating bases immune to collapse of internet, road networks and fuel supplies

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UNHARMED

U

Health & safety  systems to diagnose threats and connect stakeholders with critical supplies and services.

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