Three stalwarts of Jamaica’s aviation

industry were recently recognised for their contribution to the sector.

Former Commanding Officer for the Jamaica

Defence Force (JDF) Air Wing Reserves, Major Dudley Beek (Ret’d); Retired Chief

Air Traffic Controller, Randolph Jones and Retired Senior Pilot, Captain Lloyd

Tai, received the Aviation Trailblazer Award for a total of 150 years of

service.

The presentations were made during a

ceremony at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston on December 7, which is observed

as International Civil Aviation Day (ICAD).

The event was jointly hosted by the Jamaica

Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), and

Aeronautical Telecommunications Ltd. (AEROTEL).

Major Beek was recognised for 54 years in

aviation, which included work as a pilot while serving the JDF. His service

also included working in the areas of weather modification (cloud seeding),

mosquito control, and crop fertilisation and treatment.

In 2014, Beek undertook a project for the

government of Haiti and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which

entailed the planting of 133 million seeds aimed at reforesting 100,000 acres

of mountainous land in that country.

Captain Beek currently operates Dustair

Ltd., a crop-dusting entity, formed in 1984, which initially focused on the

planting of rice from the air, but now concentrates on spraying bananas.

He is a third-generation aviator who flew

aerobatic displays using an aircraft he helped to build in Jamaica, and was

cited by the industry as being committed to the revival and revitalisation of

general aviation.

Jones was passionate about his job and

meticulous with an eye for detail and committed to the advancement of aviation

in Jamaica.

He was recognised for his selfless and

generous contribution to the field of air traffic services, where he rose

through the ranks from being Jamaica’s first certified radar controller to

Chief Air Traffic Controller.

He was also lauded for his stints as

President of the Jamaica Air Traffic Controllers Association (JATCA), and Board

Member of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers (IFATCA).

Jones, who is in his 47th year of service,

now serves the JCAA as an instructor at the Civil Aviation Authority Training

Institute (CAATI), which trains Air Traffic Controllers.

Captain Tai’s 40 years of service to Air

Jamaica, from which he retired as Senior Vice President, Maintenance and

Technical Services, were highlighted, as well as his extensive experience in

commercial route and infrastructure planning and evaluation and implementation

of new information technology tools.

The 49-year veteran is currently a member

of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Aviation Industry Advisory

Board, and through the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational

Safety Audit Programme is certified to consult with airlines and aviation

authorities on best practice safety procedures.

Among the criteria for the awards are

demonstrable, positive impact on air transportation policy, practice, personnel

and/or promotion and over 10 years’ contribution to the local and/or

international air transportation industry.

ICAD, which was being observed on the 75th anniversary of the International Civil Aviation Organization, was celebrated this year under the theme ‘Assuring Safety and Quality within the Aviation Industry’.

— JIS