Dear Editor,
I have been following the recent issue of the government’s purchase of two Bell 206 helicopters for crime fighting. I have also read the report submitted by Captain Gerry Gouveia and I totally agree with him and his assessment. I flew helicopters in Guyana for 15 years and I have been flying internationally now for another 17 years giving me a total of 32 years in helicopter aviation. I have about 5000 hours on the Bell 206 alone, and more relevant, I flew a Bell 206 in Toronto which was equipped with an external camera for a TV network.
Before I enter into my observations, I must first deal briefly with the latest input by Mr Eddi Rodney. Mr Rodney exposes his ignorance of helicopter operations and performance by referring to helicopter downwash as blowback. It is the first time in 32 years that I have heard that expression directed at helicopters and I am baffled how that will affect or not affect crime fighting in Guyana.