Well known Guyanese pilot, Captain Alvin Clarke has died. He passed away early Saturday morning in Canada, just two weeks after going there for a medical evaluation following a cancer diagnosis a few months ago.

Captain Clarke served the Guyana Defence Force for several years before joining Roraima Airways as its Chief Pilot. He remained there until his passing.

He has been credited over the years for being a fearless pilot who knew Guyana’s jungle terrain well. Just recently, Captain Gerry Gouveia showered Clarke with praises for his ability to traverse the Guyana skies in bad weather late at nights when executing medivacs.

Gouveia described him as a true Guyanese hero in a nomination for a national award.

“When the nation sleeps, the people in the far flung areas of Guyana’s hinterland know he is always on standby. He is always ready to respond. The emergency calls from the Ministry of Health comes in : Mid night, 2 am, 4 am. It’s a sick child, its a pregnant woman with complications, it’s an accident victim, it’s a Guyanese whose life depends on Captain Alvin Clark flying that plane through the dark nights, over those mountains tops, descending into the darkness of the jungle night”, Gouveia wrote.

He said Clarke put his own life at risk many times to ensure the safety and survival of others. Captain Clarke had an aviation career spanning more than 35 years.