One hobby, thousands of flying hours, and a decision to stop just flying — and start teaching. This is the journey behind SticksEra.
Somnath's path to founding SticksEra didn't start in aviation — it started in software. Over 11+ years, he built a career in data engineering, working on enterprise-scale cloud platforms and analytics systems. On paper, aviation had nothing to do with it.
But a hobby he picked up on the side quietly became something much bigger — and eventually led to an entire academy built around it.
A stable, conventional tech career — 11+ years as a software engineer in data engineering, working with enterprise-scale cloud platforms and modern analytics. A world of servers and pipelines, not propellers and airframes.
What began as curiosity about remote-control aircraft turned into evenings and weekends spent learning to build and fly. No formal training, no aviation background — just a growing fascination that refused to stay a passing interest.
Over 5+ years, the hobby became mastery. Thousands of flying hours across RC aircraft, FPV systems, and UAVs — the kind of depth most hobbyists never reach, built one flight, one crash, and one repair at a time.
Flying alone stopped being enough. Somnath started running aviation demonstrations and workshops at schools and engineering colleges — and found that watching a student fly for the first time was more rewarding than any solo flight.
Piloting wasn't the whole picture — the engineering was. Somnath began designing and building his own aircraft, FPV systems and UAVs from scratch, learning airframes, electronics, and structures in the process, not just the controls.
A tech career, thousands of flying hours, hands-on engineering, and a love of teaching finally came together. Alongside co-founder Dr. Bhagyashree Parande, Somnath started SticksEra — India's Aerospace Maker Academy — to give students the same design-to-flight journey, on purpose, from day one.
Add a real quote from Somnath here — about why he started SticksEra, or what he wants students to take away from it.
You don't need an aviation background to start — just curiosity. That's exactly how this story began.
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