OVER 40 engineers, including from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), are being trained by JAGS Aviation Inc. in collaboration with BK International to carry out maintenance works on the “Skytruck” recently acquired by Jags Aviation. The training is being facilitated by SilverAero, a company with over 25 years of involvement in the aviation industry and in providing support for operations and maintenance for various aircraft worldwide, and more specifically the M28 Skytruck.
The training which started on February 2 and runs for a period of one week will see participants chalking up 40 hours each, as part of the certification requirements. The first batch of trainees are expected to compete their 40 hours today or by Monday, since the weekends are not included.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle in an exclusive interview yesterday at the Water Street, Kingston Office of BK International, Accountable Manager of JAGS Aviation Inc., Briony Tiwarie, explained that because of the number of persons who are being trained the training had to be divided to accommodate two batches.
In addition to personnel from the GDF, BK International and JAGS Aviation are also training personnel from their own pool of engineers.
The second batch of trainees in the maintenance of the “Skytruck” would commence on February 16. In addition, there are two persons from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) who are part of the entire process, since the certifying of aviation engineers has to be done by the GCAA.
Following training of the engineers, BK and Jags would then move to provide training to pilots from both agencies in the operation of the airbus, Briony Tiwarie told this publication.
Asked to comment on the real purpose of the training and why the company saw the importance of it, Briony Tiwarie said that her company understands the importance of the training and the need to involve personnel from the GDF, given the nature of operations that the agency is involved in.
She explained that at the end of the training it will not only be beneficial to those who were directly involved and the companies they represent, but the Guyanese society also since the “Skytruck” would be providing a service to thousands of persons indirectly, already also, miners are set to benefit tremendously from the service of the “Sky Truck” given the nature of their operations and the bulky and weighty cargo that sometimes have to be transported into interior locations on more than one trip.

The “Skytruck” has the capacity to fly with record weight on board and can also land in interior locations which have very short runways, something that is not possible with regular aircraft which conduct domestic operations.
Ms. Tiwarie indicated to the Chronicle that even after the training would have been completed, maintenance support would be forthcoming for the facilitators who provided the instructor and maintenance course.