Despite their lack of material, training and money, these determined aviation-enthusiasts have managed to build their own machines.
Gabriel Nderitu's aircraft, which he built in his front yard in Kenya, is powered by an engine which was once used to mill animal feed.
He sourced aluminum bars, bolts and plastic sheeting to make the frame - sticking it all together with some gum.
He said:
'In any society, there’s always a subset of individuals with an interest in tinkering, fabricating, mimicking, inventing.
'At the very fundamental level, what drives them is curiosity. On top of that, it’s problem solving, or addressing gaps they see in society.'
But there are a few success stories - 24-year-old physics student Nigerian Mubarak Muhammed Abdullahi being one of them.
He spent nearly a year building a 12-metre (39ft) long helicopter out of spare parts sourced from old cars, motorcycles, and even a crashed Boeing 747. He used money he saved from repairing cell phones and computers.
His bright yellow contraption with a salvaged Honda Civic engine was completed in 2007 and could actually reach heights of seven ft. His invention helped secure him a scholarship to study aircraft maintenance in the UK.
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| Innovation: It may look like a car, but Abdullahi, pictured sitting in the front seat, used old car parts to make his own helicopter |
While Somaliland trio Mohamed Abdi Barkadle, Saed Abdi Jide and Abdi Farah Lidan, built a helicopter from an old van engine and scrap metal with no financial support in 2010.
They'd hoped to use the plane to fight fires but it is unclear whether their machine ever made it off the ground.
Farmhand Onesmus Mwangi managed to build a 25-kilogramme helicopter from scrap material he salvaged from around his village in Magomano.
According to the BBC, the 20-year-old dropped out of school at the age of 12 and has no training in aviation.
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| Handmade: Mubarak Abdullahi, 24, stands next to the helicopter he constructed in Kano, Nigeria, in 2007 |
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| Starting out: Aminu Abubakar can be seen welding the skeleton of a his helicopter out of scrap metal in 2007 |
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