-media taken along for the ride
THE recently commissioned Roraima Airways $60M Britten-Norman BN2A-27 Island aircraft was yesterday flown for the first time and the various media houses were invited to experience the exciting travel aboard.

An aerial view of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. (Adrian Narine photos)

The company’s operations manager and pilot, Captain Learie Barclay said the exercise was aimed at giving media operatives a first-hand feel of the machine, as well as an insight into Roraima’s operations.

The aircraft features a specially augmented cockpit with modern avionics, all geared to make flying safer and more comfortable for its pilot.

The Guyana Chronicle also observed that the interior of the aircraft was in top condition, and the media’s sojourn aboard the aircraft was done in a very comfortable, pleasing and relaxing atmosphere.

The Guyana National Stadium

During the 10-minute flight over Georgetown, piloted by Roraima Airways founder and veteran pilot, Captain Gerald Gouviea, the media did not only experience travel on the islander but also witnessed the breathtaking aerial view of the capital city.

Notably, there were two flights and since there were seats available on the plane for the second tour, this newspaper had the luxury of enjoying both.

Aspiring pilot, Jamal Chesney, who celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday, along with his family were also part of the snappy but exciting journey.

Barclay said the new aircraft will support the company’s two other Islanders which are currently under maintenance.

An aerial view of part of Georgetown

Gouveia, speaking at the launching of the aircraft some weeks ago outside the Company’s offices at the Ogle Aerodrome, on the lower East Coast, said the newly acquired machine will boost his ability to serve the adventure tourism industry and aid in critical air transport.

He credited the addition and general expansion of his enterprise to his hardworking, dedicated and committed staffers who saw the company grow from three employees 17 years ago to over 150 today.

Roraima Airway Inc. initially started out as an airliner, but over the past few years has expanded in various facets of tourism and national development, namely in resort and tourism development and ground handling services.

Gouviea pointed out that Roraima Airways has been operating Islanders for in excess of 15 years, providing air support to the international community, mining community, residents, and businessmen in the interior here.

The Guyana International Conference Centre

His company conducts international commercial air transport operations in South America and the Caribbean, with the most noteworthy of the lot being their FEDEX Express contract to transport cargo five times weekly to the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad.

Gouviea said with the new aircraft at hand, his company will be able to expand this service, and on that note, he expressed his gratitude to Republic Bank for not only supporting him in the acquisition of the aircraft, but for also being a partner in his company’s developmental thrust.

The Britten-Norman is a British light utility aircraft, mainline airliner and cargo vehicle designed and manufactured by Britton-Norman of the United Kingdom (UK).

According to a Roraima release, the Islander is used by the Army and the Police in the UK, and is a popular light transport with over 30 military aviation operators worldwide.

The two-engined plane is designed for short-distance take-off and landing on short airstrips, which makes it suitable for operations in the interior locations.

The brand new addition to the Roraima fleet, which can be used in bad weather, was retrofitted to include an autopilot, high frequency radio, and a 406 Mhz emergency locator transmitter to further enhance safety.

Former pilot and current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ogle Airport Inc, Anthony Mekdeci, said the aircraft will definitely improve the services being offered by the $US30M facility which has been providing a quality and reliable service to ordinary Guyanese and the business community.

Tourism Minister, Mr Manniram Prashad, who also spoke at the inauguration, praised Gouviea’s latest investment and pointed out that even though a lot of work has been done to upgrade the Ogle airport to municipal status, more needs to be done on the US$5M project.