Local pioneer inducted into aviation hall of fame
The International Civil Aviation Organisation through its South American Regional Office (SAM Office), has inducted a Guyanese civil aviation pioneer, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Compton Courtney Hutson(Ret’d), into its Hall of Tribute to South American Aviation Pioneers.
The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in a press release, stated that the event took place at the SAM Regional Office in San Isidro, Peru, as part of a series of activities to commemorate its 70th anniversary in December last year.
The image and a brief history of the work of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Compton Courtney Hutson (Ret’d) is now among several South American aviation pioneers decorating the Hall of Tribute of the SAM Regional Office, the GCAA release added.
Charles Hutson’s early experiences in aircraft maintenance were pursued with a quiet passion and eventually culminated in the establishment of a formal training institution and an approved maintenance facility with procedural guidelines through which young Guyanese are able to receive professional development.
As an aircraft engineer, Hutson was responsible for the effective maintenance of a fleet of aircraft at the Guyana Airways Corporation. He was later transferred to the Guyana Defence Force with the rank of Major, eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. It was there he attained certification in helicopter maintenance, becoming the first Guyanese to hold a dual aircraft maintenance engineering licence.
Lt. Col. Hutson later joined the private sector, and with the support of Richard Campbell and Peter D’Andrade, birthed the Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Services, Guyana’s first Approved Maintenance Organisation. Following closely behind its establishment was the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School, an Approved Training Organisation, offering professional training in the field of aircraft maintenance engineering to Guyanese and students globally.