Guyana Air Corps

The Guyana Defence Force has the constitutional role of defending Guyana’s territorial integrity. With the increased economic activities in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and in hinterland regions, it is only natural expect the GDF Air Corps be more involved in ensuring a safe and secure environment for Guyana, her citizens as well as the investors.

The air wing of the GDF was created in 1968. In 1970 it was redesignated the Air Command, GDF. The 200-member Air Command was headquartered at Camp Ayanganna in Georgetown. In the early 1990s, its five aircraft and five helicopters operated from Georgetown's Timehri Airport. The command's primary missions were transportation, communications, and liaison. Secondary missions included counternarcotics and maritime patrolling. All aircraft were civil registered.

The army has been operating its aircraft commercially for decades since the formation of its air wing in 1968, in accordance with provisions set out by the Defence Board. The army’s air wing served Guyana in different capacities, including state flights, medical evacuations and humanitarian missions. The air unit accumulated substantial funds through its commercial operations, some of which included reaching the remote areas of Guyana. Funds from its commercial activities had contributed significantly to the development of the Air Corps at the time.

Guyana must find better ways to man its borders to maintain territorial integrity and provide a safe environment for locals and visitors. This is especially necessary and proving to be of greater concern as Guyana battles claims by neighbouring Venezuela, even while figuring out ways of preventing illegal aircraft and even submarines from making their way into the country undetected.Guyana is opening itself to the world as a business destination and more recently, a rising oil-producing nation which has led some officials to reiterate calls for better equipment of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); the agency constitutionally designated to protect the country’s borders from any illegal entries.

Former GDF aeronautical engineers who were groomed by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) air wing are recommended in May 2010 that the authorities implement measures to upgrade the status of the Air Corps. In the past, engineers and pilots were among the highest paid professionals in the country, but now this was not the case.

Another professional was “surprised” during a visit to his former workplace, the GDF’s Air Corps base at Timehri, to observe engineers from another Caricom territory undertaking mechanical work on one of the army’s helicopters at the base. He said in the past nationals from several Caribbean territories, including Jamaica, had been trained in the engineering field there, and that Guyana had provided good training in terms of courses in that field. Nationals from other Caribbean territories were annually trained in the field here and several engineers attached to the GDF air wing were schooled there, some of whom were attached to the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School in Ogle.

In 2015 the GDF expressed optimism in re-fleeting its air wing. It was pointed out then that the GDF was utilizing a 1960s British-made Skyvan with several years of operation, a “corroding” Chinese Harbin Y-12, purchased in 2001, a single-engine Cessna 206 seized during a drug raid and helicopters that included a Bell 412. Veteran pilots suggested the sourcing of new airplanes such as short C-23 Sherpa and the Polish light cargo and passenger PZL M28 Skytruck, deemed ideal for the relatively short and sometimes rough interior terrain.

During Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Hillary London “Larry”'s tour of duty as Commanding Officer Air Corps from 1979-1987 he not only had comd responsibility of 370 offrs and ranks, negotiated purchase of aircraft and equipment, he also supervised the construction of this hangar and was instrumental in the training, recruitment and of many who are better pilots and engineers in Guyana, still serving in the Defence Force, and the wider world.

Captains Daryl Britton and Bernard Cunjie pursued flight training at the Air Services Limited flight Training School (ASLFTS) at Ogle. Upon the completion of their training, the officers, who were fully sponsored by the Guyana Defence Force, obtained a Commercial Pilot’s License.

Commanding Officer of the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Courtney Byrne, said that the training of the two Officers is occurring at a time when the GDF is seeking to build capacity with regard to its air assets. “The Commander in Chief, His Excellency President David Granger, has committed to the recapitalisation of the GDF’s Air Corps. To this end, we expect to acquire assets such as fixed and perhaps rotor-wing aircraft. In this regard, we cannot wait for those assets to be acquired, but must train personnel and have them available for when those assets are on the ground,” he says. “The Air Corps has suffered significant levels of attrition over the past ten years and the training of these two officers is geared toward ensuring that we have the skills necessary for our longevity. We are currently staging in order to meet the forward thrust and to realise the Commander in Chief’s vision for our role in national security and defence.”

According to Lt Col Byrne, localised training is not only cost-effective but works to the benefit of Guyana, since the pilots are training within local conditions using the topography, geography and climatology of Guyana. Additionally, he says, on the completion of this training the pilots will be almost ready for launching into local operations. Localised training also nullifies the need for re-certification as is usually the case with pilots trained overseas.