– Says GCAA Director- General

DIRECTOR-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Egbert Field, has affirmed that the local aviation sector will continue to adapt and develop as focus is being directed to mainstreaming drone technology now.

Speaking at the Drones and Tourism Expo held on Sunday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Field said: “Drones are here to stay. Drone technology entered into the aviation industry and it’s not to be used as a toy but for commercial activities.”

The expo was held as part of the activities for tourism awareness month because drones are changing the way Guyana is portrayed through the angles of photographs and videos they are able to give. And since drones are part of transportation also, Field said it was only logical to ‘marry’ the two into the expo.

While the drone industry is a newly emerging one, compared to the orthodox modes of aviation transportation, the director-general told the drone operators that the industry is in no way on the “backburner”.

In fact, ahead of the massive meeting of 192 countries at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Guyana this week, Field shared that much emphasis is being placed on drones globally.

The expo also featured an entry-level drone race, which was aimed at getting Guyana into a new sport emerging on the global arena.

Cognisant of this, Field said: “I think Guyana can be the drone capital for racing. It has not taken off to the extent it has taken off here, in the rest of the Caribbean.”

He also highlighted that Guyana is in fact generally ahead of the rest of the Caribbean when it comes to this type of technology, even though it is only dabbling with the smaller drones.

The entire expo, he said, is indicative of the country’s attempts to mainstream the sector and stay ahead of the curve. And according to him, it is only a matter of time before the larger drones, which include those unmanned aircraft, penetrate the local airways.

But before that time comes, he stressed that Guyana must integrate the technology it is already exposed to; this includes using drones to fertilise crops and inspecting power lines. And young people must be the ones involved in making this a reality, according to him.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes added to Field’s statements and noted that drones are being used in agriculture, building and construction, advertising and racing for just fun.

In fact, she related that earlier this year, her ministry showed farmers in Berbice just how they could use drone technologies on their farm and they seemed very receptive. More importantly, she explained that drones do not give off harmful emissions. Field also said that this ties into Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), because of how environmentally friendly they are.

“There are so many opportunities [and] sometimes we fail to take to take advantage of the opportunities that are lying right in front of us,” Hughes related and urged the young people at the expo to take up these opportunities.

And as the expo intended to focus on drones and tourism, the former minister of tourism contended that tourism is being developed by technology all over the world and said: “Technology in tourism is inevitable [and] drones in tourism marketing in today’s world is almost like ketchup on fries.”

And at the expo local photographers showed just how they intend on marketing Guyana by using drones to get the best shots possible.

STANDARDS
President of the Guyana Drone Operators Association (GDOA), Lancelot Khan shared: “While many of the countries and citizens have banned [drones], our country has embraced those but clearly there is the need for protocols and guidelines.”

Field shared similar sentiments where he explained that the authority is in no way trying to stymie the industry, but in fact is only pushing for proper regulation.

“We aim to work hand in hand with the industry to take aviation to the next level… we are not here to stifle it but to let it flow in a structured format,” he said.

All of the drone operators present at the expo were all properly licensed and equipped with their requisite permits, he noted. This is in keeping with what the authority functions to do. He also noted that the civil aviation act—which he hopes will find favour in Guyana’s Parliament this week—also places focus on concrete guidelines for the drone industry.

“My message is clear, we are regulators but [also] facilitators and we are willing to work hand in hand with the industry,” the officer said.