– calls resound for upgrading of air corps

There is currently only one person at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Air Corps who is qualified to pilot the Chinese Y-12 Harbin aircraft, as there continue to be calls on the authorities to upgrade the general capacity of the unit.

Stabroek News understands that the aircraft, which was sourced by the government in 2002 to enhance the GDF’s capability to move cargo and passengers around Guyana as well as improve its maritime surveillance capability, is usually operated by a two-member crew. However, there is only one pilot-in-command, who is qualified to be captain of the craft, leaving it under-utilized.

Sources at Timehri told this newspaper recently that the authorities have tried in the past to address the issue. It was noted that there is a training programme on paper, but the need for finance and personnel to actually undertake such a programme is considered a spot of bother.

Sources told this newspaper that the aircraft, “lies parked if the pilot is sick, unavailable”, or when his flying hours are up. At the moment the captain who flies the Y-12, registered 8R-GDS, is said to be 65 years old, and while “nothing is wrong with that”, sources at the unit told this newspaper that there is the need for younger persons to be trained to operate the craft.

The captains who operate the force’s SkyVan, 8R-GGK, are about 55 years old, and it was noted that persons retire from the military at 55.

Persons at Timehri told Stabroek News that there are young pilots within Air Corps, but their training in operating the aircraft in question may not be advanced. “The GDF needs the ability to attract and retain pilots; pilots can make much more money in the private sector,” an officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told this newspaper.

The aircraft, called the ‘Twin Panda’ was bought from the Chinese government on concessionary terms in 2002 when the government announced additional budgetary allocations of $540 million for the previous year to the sector. Through this venture, the GDF acquired the Y-12 light aircraft manufactured in the People’s Republic of China from the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC).

The aircraft, which was bought relatively new, can seat 19 and has a cargo capacity of 1,700 kilogrammes (3,748 lbs). The engine of the aircraft was manufactured in Canada and the avionics in the United States of America.

At the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the sale, then Chief of Staff, Brigadier Michael Atherly said that the acquisition of the aircraft would improve the GDF’s capability to move cargo and passengers around Guyana as well as improve its maritime surveillance capability.

Following its arrival, save for its promotional flights to a number of South American countries, the Y-12 had been sitting in a hangar at the GDF’s Air Corps Timehri base.

It could not be used at the time, since the government had to fulfil payments to the Chinese in order for the craft to be operated.

It was involved in a few aviation accidents since; including a brake failure at the Ogle Aerodrome when it collided with a building close to the tarmac there. The craft also experienced a blowout on landing at a local aerodrome.

Meanwhile, persons within the sector continue to call on the authorities to upgrade the overall capability of Air Corps, citing inefficient management and under-funding as well as staff retention as major issues affecting the unit.

It was said that the army’s bureaucracy makes it difficult to respond to a dynamic situation. As an example, an army source explained that whenever a training course comes up, the approval process for funds to cover the expenses “takes a long time” leaving the unit at a disadvantage.

This newspaper understands that several persons including Col (rtd) Charles Hutson, who was one of the persons instrumental in setting up the Air Corps in the 1970s, had made their services available to reorganise and guide the unit towards the state it once was, but their offers were never acknowledged.

One official at Air Corps said the authorities should reconsider operating the department for commercial purposes, a view which Captain Gerry Gouveia had been voicing over the years, his being that the unit was competing with the private operators leaving them at a disadvantage.

The official said that whenever the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority carries out inspections of the army’s craft for commercial purposes, and the findings of such exercises need to be addressed, sourcing the funds for such purposes takes “a lot of time, so what happens in the meantime?” he asked.

He said on occasions, the military structures are not compatible with the requirements of civilian rules, as it can be difficult to reconcile the demands of timely compliance with certain regulations.