The humof planes taking off is a constant backgound sound as one entersthe Civil Aviation Building.Inside the director's office, the walls are decorated with framedphotographs of all types of planes, a United States Air Forcepilot, scenes of visiting dignities -- a collection of aviationmemorabilia that convey the impression that the director has atrue romance with his job.
Against one wall, a bookshelf with statues -- mementos of visitsto faraway palces -- seems a little out of place. From Argentinathere is a statue of a couple doing the tango; from Cuba, a handwith a chain, and beautiful African bookends from Jamaica.
The director is clearly a man of varied interests. In additionto being a pilot, he is also a certified diver.
He is Richard Paul Smith, one of the new breed of Caymanians thatis taking charge, as the islands develop.
Richard will be among the first to admit that he came along atthe right time. He is the second Caymanian Director of the CivilAviation Authority, and at age 44, and six years into his presentposition, he seems more than suited for the job.
As a boy growing up in North Side in the 1960s and 1970s, Richarddid not dream of being the director of aviation.
He remembers the hardships. There was no electricity - the linesstopped in Bodden Town. His father, Mr. Gerald Smith, a preacherin the district was also a very enterprising farmer. Though theyoungest of six, Richard worked just as hard as his siblings.They would rise early to collect, clean and deliver eggs to thedistrict residents.
Then it was the long commute to George Town to school on Mr. Craddock'sbus. Mr. Craddock Ebanks was the district's MLA, so there weretimes when the North Side kid sat in the bus waiting from theLegislative Assembly to let out for the
long ride home again.
Sometimes on weekends, Richard and his pals would fish, have acookout or hunt wild rabbits. Still, flying planes or directingCivil Aviation Authority was a long way off.
Just out of high school in 1976, Richard applied to become anair traffic controller. He acknowledged that when he first startedhe preferred the architectural field.
He worked with Altee Thompson at nights and on weekends drawingplans, but as time passed and he became more involved in air trafficcontrol Richard knew that this was his true calling.
"I never had thought of becoming director. Air-traffic controlwas a lot of fun. When I did my shift, I would walk away satisfied.It also gave me a lot of free time for me to do the things I wantedto do," said Richard.
"I came here at the right time and it was the right job.It was just about the time that aviation started to develop atthe airport," he explained.
In 1980, Richard got another indication that aviation was theright career choice. At the time, Sheldon Hislop became the firstCaymanian to be named the Director of Civil Aviation.
"It was an inspiration for me. He and I are very close. Herecruited me," Richard recalled.
He took every course that was offered. He even took flying lessonsto receive is private pilot's license. The move was a little calculatedat the time, he admits.
"Then in 1983 I started to take a close look at aviation.Once I started to fly I saw the opportunities for me to make thismy career. I wanted to get to know both sides of the job. I wasonly seeing the job from one side. So, I decided to get my pilotlicense then I would see what the pilot was seeing. This madeall the difference in the world," he adds.
He later became a commercial pilot which was a requirement forthe flight operational manager's position and the ultimate positionthat he was being groomed for - the director.
"I find aviation very fulfilling, because there are so manyaspects to it. There is not just one specialist area. In Cayman,we are small but we have to cover all the areas to meet internationalstandards. It is very exciting.
"The thing about aviation is that is dynamic. It is not astagnant field at all," Richard enthused.
Richard explained the dynamic and responsible tasks that fallto his office and stressed that his team is all part of the success.
"Ours is a multi-functional jurisdiction. We are the regulatorybody which is responsible for aircraft inspection to ensure thatthey are complying with the laws and regulations. We are the serviceproviders, running the airport, the air traffic services and theMet. Office. In larger jurisdictions, most of these would be separate.
"At times we are overwhelmed, but we have a competent staff.At times there might be a conflict because we have to regulateourselves, so in our evolution I believe at some point we willhave the airport side under a different arrangement where we wouldbe more the regulator than a service provider. Civil Aviationis more the police so it is a balancing act," Richard said.
He noted that Cayman is heavily scrutinised by various internationalregulatory aviation bodies such as the United States Federal AviationAuthority and UK Civil Aviation Authority.
"We are under scrutiny all the time. In aviation the keywords are safety, regularity and efficient. Safety is of coursethe most important. However, if you are safe and not regular orefficient you have failed."
In his job as director, Richard Smith appears to be succedingon all counts.
Caption - Richard Smith, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority