–but today he’s an instrument-rated pilot, thanks to his unshakable faith in God
“BEFORE every flight and just before landing, I say a special prayer,” says Captain Lincoln Gomez.
A son of the village of Paruima, way up in Region Seven as the Cuyuni-Mazaruni district is officially called, Captain Gomez is not only hungry to fly, but to help the sick and the poor.
The 37-year-old father of two boys started his aviation career in 2008, and has managed to overcome several challenges along the way to his pilot’s licence, including financial constraints.
But according to him, “by God’s mercy” he was able to accomplish what wasn’t exactly one of his plans while growing up at Paruima, not far from the Venezuela border.
Around 2007, he said Pastor David Gates of the Seventh Day Adventist Church approached him and asked if he wanted to learn to fly.
As he explained, the church runs a non-profit air service called the Guyana Adventist Aviation Service (GAAS), which is based in Paruima.
“I studied the idea for a few months,” Gomez said. “I prayed on it, and then I decided I will take up the challenge.”
TRAINING IN BOLIVIA
Gomez, who is married and is the last of seven children, said that his training started in Bolivia, where the church has a branch. He started out by training alongside the American pilots at the aviation school there, where he gained experience to man the plane’s controls.
After a year in Bolivia, he came back to Guyana and he flew for a year. He would spend even more time here gaining invaluable experience, and even returned to Bolivia on occasions to undergo more training.
Gomez recently travelled to Guyana on a lengthy flight from Bolivia, a journey which took several days.
He was “checked out” recently here, and passed the practical examination.
At the moment, he is licensed as an instrument-rated pilot, and is able to fly single-engine aircraft in the Upper Mazaruni area, and to Ogle at the Eugene F Corriea International Airport.
These days, Captain Gomez, who obtained his secondary education in neighbouring Vevezuela, flies almost daily, transporting the sick, and helping those in need of critical assistance in the hinterland areas of Region Seven. Some days, he said, the adventure is heartwarming.
EVANGELISM
And to think that he initially wanted to study theology and become an evangelist! As he hastened to explain, “Several years ago, Uncle David decided to be a missionary in Kaikan. After some time, he saw the need for aviation in Guyana.” The Uncle David to whom he referred is the same Pastor David Gates who it was that encouraged him to take an interest in aviation, and is apparently a pilot himself.
“Flying an airplane was never in my mind then; I was just touched with God’s love and wanted to share it,” Captain Gomez said.
He noted that he has the full backing of family and friends, and that his parents are very proud of his accomplishments thus far.
In addition to English, Lincoln is fluent in Spanish and the Indigenous Akawaio and Arecuna languages.
“My family is from the Akawaio tribe,” he said. “My father spoke the language with us growing up, so we had to learn.”
His grandparents, on the other hand, were born in Venezuela, but moved to Guyana many decades ago. He still has relatives living in nearby Santa Elena, on the Venezuela side of the border where his grandparents are from.
HELPING TO SERVE
“I am happy to help those who cannot help themselves,” he said, adding that with the help of Captain Gates and other pilots, including Captains Gary Roberts, Jim Craig, Gary Lewis, and James Ash, he was able to gain valuable aviation knowledge.
He said that by God’s Grace, he will continue to improve his knowledge in aviation, and hopes to some day fly even larger aircraft. “Aviation doesn’t stop,” he said, adding that he will continue to serve those persons who are in need.
