The American missionaries who came to serve the people of Guyana were faced with many challenges. My parents came in 1960 and stayed until 1966. In those days, the runway at Paramakutoi Village in the Roraima Mountains where we lived, was not paved. In fact, there were no paved interior runways.
The American missionaries who came to serve the people of Guyana were faced with many challenges. My parents came in 1960 and stayed until 1966. In those days, the runway at Paramakutoi Village in the Roraima Mountains where we lived, was not paved. In fact, there were no paved interior runways.
We frequented Kato, Orinduik, Phillipai, Kaiteur, Baramita and Lethem, transporting injured for treatment, supplies for the three interior mission sites, and personnel. Night landings required those on the ground to line the runway with people holding lanterns and that was when you prayed your instruments were accurate! Flying in bad weather was pure "guts" as there were no IFR [intrument flying regulations] towers in the interior.
My father, Roger Bassett, taught my brother, David, and me to fly. We flew with pioneers of Guyanese Aviation such as Bryon Murphy, John Rix, Alex Phillips and Noel Foster. The MAF pilot, Roy Parsons, stationed at Lethem with his wife, Katie, introduced my father to the Missavia Radio which became a lifeline of communication when the planes were out flying. My Dad assisted with rescue of several pilots who crashed. George Golas crashed his plane at Kaiteur; James Sawyer had to land on a sandbar in the upper Mazaruni River.
Dad flipped the mission plane over at Phillipai when one wheel dropped into a hole on the strip. Each time, the plane and people had to be rescued and then the plane had to be repaired and restored.
The most unique common denominator among the early days of flying was, to me, the sense of unity between aviators. If one had a problem, they all jumped in to help. I learned early in life that people always need people and compassion goes much further than competition. You had to be one tough egg to be a bush pilot in the 60's in Guyana!
