Guyanese aeronautical engineering school joins US-based safety foundation; to offer jet training

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

A Caribbean-wide recognized aeronautical engineering school based in Guyana-now a full member of the United States-based Flight Safety Foundation- plans to train students in jet repair and maintenance.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School (AWHWAES), Capt. Malcolm Chan-a-Sue made these announcements at the 2013 Graduation Ceremony held on Monday at the hangar of the Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Services (CAMS).
 
He said (AWHWAES) was now the fourth educational organisation to have been accredited by the Washington DC-based Flight Safety Foundation- “the world’s most prestigious top ranking” safety and development organisation. That organisation’s members include leading aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing as well as major civil aviation authorities around the world. “We are already a world class organisation or those people in Washington would not have given us that certificate,” he said.

He said the jet would be based at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) where AWHWAES would use it as a working model to trains students from Ogle, CJIA and the wider Caribbean to become “jet qualified”. “Other than that, we are stuck in a mental fold,” he said.  

Chan-a-Sue said the 16-year old school has set high standards which are reflected in the fact that only 107 of the more than 200 graduates so far as fully licensed engineers. “There is no monkeying around. You’ve got to pass those exams and if you don’t also work on the airplanes and have logbooks to show, the Civil Aviation Authority would not even look at you to come and do the exam,” said the veteran pilot.

He expressed concern that a lot of the students, although brilliant and smart, are absent from the classrooms and hangars.

English Language Competence

The CEO of the AWHWAES lamented the standard of English Language even among those who have passed the subject at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

Against that background, he announced that the school has decided to contract an organisation to teach the students English Language. “The aviation industry levels are so high that if you can’t write an essay and the examiner looks at it, you can’t get your licence,” he said.

Chan-a-Sue expressed concern that many parents and students were absent from the graduation, a situation he called a “bad sign”.

Operated by the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG), AWHWAES has produced graduates that are working in the Caribbean, United States, Canada and other countries.

The school is accredited by Civil Aviation Authorities in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Suriname as well as the Caribbean Aviation Safety Oversight System. It is the first tertiary institution in Caricom with an ISO 9001 certified quality management system. LIAT is the first international airline that has placed its students on attachment at the school. The Antigua and Barbuda Board of Education has sponsored three students to AWHWAES.

Those graduating with Completion Certificates in aeronautical engineering are Shivram Arjun (Best Graduating Student), Sean Blackman, Michele Canzius, Jeremy Cox, Randall De Freitas, Michael Husbands, Gordon Watson, Cemeria Williams and Tevyn Art Williams.  They now have to apply to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to be granted licences.