Guyanese Pilots

I've added this out of pure self-interest and also because I have had the experience of flying (in a de Havilland Twin Otter) into the interior with Captain Astil Paul, in the mid 90's, while exploring the Guyanese hinterland.

Guyana is a beautiful country, it's roughly the size of the UK and has a population of some 800,000. Sights like Kaiteur Falls is quite spectacular, and I visited mining villages, like Imbaimadai, which is a jump off point for gold prospectors and also Lethem on the Guyana/Brazil border. But the flights were an adventure in themselves, packed with people it was like an air bus, but not the Boeing type. And like a bus you could have a bumpy ride. I remember one flight which a bit choppy, a woman being sick next to me, unfortunately she didn't have an sickbag! We landed on some airstrips that could cure constipation. It was pretty exciting stuff I can tell you. But I never felt the least bit worried with Captain Paul at the controls. He was the consummate professional and a pilot of great experience and skill, who had flown jets internationally and took his job very seriously indeed. It might add he was also the pilot who flew the ill-fated group of American senator Leo Ryan who was killed in the events leading up to the Jonestown massacre. But that's another story!

Here's the story by Frank Roman on Guyanese pilots:

Added by Miles Williams to the group "GUYANESE PILOTS"

Hello Miles, here are some of the photos. In the early to mid 80's I was a trader to Brazil and flew on the HS 748 weekly, we nicked named her flop hat, not sure why. At that time GAC had daily service into Lethem and the daily arrival of flop hat was the high point of the day. The only way in and out. After a short time we could tell which aircraft was approaching sky van, 748, islander or DC 6 .by the sound of their engines.

The Lethem flights were always over booked; having a confirmed booking was not reason to think you had a seat in or out of Georgetown or Lethem. Many flights were late or canceled due to mechanical problems weather pilots sick plane gone to Trinidad or just because. As a result when we got to Lethem we never knew when we would be lucky to get on a flight back to Georgetown, shopping in Boa vista would take 2 days tops and it took at best a week of going to the airfield each day to make it out of Lethem. Our early warning signal for the arrival of flop hat was the sweet distinctive wine of her turbines at which time all 150-200 of us traders would make a mad dash to the airfield. Flop hat will forever have a place in my heart.

After moving to the New York one day I was driving along the Grand Central Parkway passing LaGuardia airport and I heard it that distinctive wine, all the memories of Lethem came flooding back and I almost ran the car of f the highway trying to see the approaching aircraft, as it came into view I was disappointed and confused it was not a HS 748 but a Fokker 28. I could not believe I was fooled but later learned that the F 28 uses the same engines as the HS 748.

One more foot note, Lethem's runway had a problem with cows over running it and as result many landings had to be aborted. Tony Austin and I do not recall who made a wheels up landing there after having to make a go around and they forgot to but the gear down on the second approach. Captain Astel Paul would get really pissed off when this happened, he was know for buzzing the cows off the runway. I happen to be on an early morning flight with Captain Paul into Lethem when he spotted cows on the runway, he did some flying that morning with a plane load of us, came in at tree top height up wind so the cows would not hear the aircraft approach and chased them off the field, this took about 4-5 passes of aerial acrobatics at a tree top level. I think I was the only one on board who was having the time of my life, I loved it but the lady in the isle seat next to me was not having as much fun, she had okra cook up that morning and became air sick vomited right in the isle I had the isle seat next her and with Capt Paul doing all those stunts the vomit was all over the floor, in the middle of all that I took off my seat belt folded my feet under me. Bibles came out from no where, people who for one reason or the other who were not speaking at the time were now holding hands. But he got the runway clear then on the final just before touch down the second before a voice rang out in the cabin "oh s*^%t did he remember to put down the f*&^%$g wheels?" then touch down thank God the wheels were down. That was the best flight ever !!!!! That picture was taken on one of my trips.

Frank Roman (Jeff Romans brother)