The civil aviation fraternity Friday lost one of its stalwarts with the passing of former Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Dennis Daniel.Daniel, known fondly as “Mr Danny”, died after a period of illness at his Georgetown home. He was 64.

As news of his passing circulated over the weekend, persons familiar with Daniel spoke highly of his character, notably, as one of the more revered trainers at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Former GCAA Director – Air Safety and Regulations, Paula McAdam noted the “thoroughness “of his personality. She recalled him joining the aviation sector around 1972.

Daniel started out as a meteorological officer at the Hydromet Department at the then Timehri Airport. He then paid an interest in aviation, given its close affiliation to the met office. He started at the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) as an apprentice air traffic control officer and moved up the ranks soon after and graduated to the stage of a qualified air traffic controller. That was in the late 1970s.

Soon after, Daniel held the post of Senior Air Traffic Controller (SATCO) with responsibility for training, a position which many remembered him for. He was said to have made his greatest impact in aviation in this post, having trained some of the best air traffic controllers manning the ATC facilities in Guyana and overseas presently.

In 2002, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) became a semi-autonomous body and Danial was installed as the Director of Air Navigation Services (ANS), a post he held until he parted ways with the GCAA, under what one senior controller termed “unfortunate circumstances”. He was based at the Air Traffic Control tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at the time.

During this time he also acted as the head of the GCAA in the absence of the Director General. He also had oversight for all air traffic matters at Timehri, as well as training of new and practicing air traffic controllers.

“He was a very meticulous person, he took his time to ensure things were done right, he was a first class teacher and he was really good at that particular aspect,” one senior colleague recalled of his character.

His daughter described him as a lovable, intelligent individual who was accommodating, well-read and patient. ”He will be greatly missed by lots who knew him “, she said.

Several seasoned current and former air traffic controllers spoke highly of Daniel yesterday. Overseas-based controller, Eon Morrison noted that, “Danny will for long be remembered as a mentor, a teacher, a brother and a friend by so many of us across the Globe, whose aviation careers have been molded by him.”

Former controller, Paul Phillips, who is also based overseas, noted the “greatness” of Daniel, while senior air traffic controller, Courtney Frank noted on social media, “old controllers don’t die, they just stop issuing clearances. RIP Danny”.

Daniel leaves to mourn his wife, national dance choreographer, Vivian Daniel, and several children. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren.

In 2007, much to the dissatisfaction of ATC staff, Daniel parted ways with the GCAA after he had raised the issue of the Hydromet Department’s Doppler –Radar facility being positioned too close to the main runway of country’s main international airport.

Many in aviation circles felt that he was treated unfairly by those at the helm of the aviation sector. (Alva Solomon)