NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority has had some success in its regularization efforts to thwart “hacking”, its Director Charles Beneby said there are still some persons who continue to “skirt the law”.
Beneby was speaking during the Byron Ferguson Foundation’s inaugural symposium over the weekend.
He noted that the challenge is primarily with singe pilot operators- the smaller aircraft.
“We have started a program encouraging those people to come in be formalized and be regularized,” Beneby said.
“We have had some success with that but there are still some person who continue to skirt the law. What they will feel as long as I am here is a constant attack because we will not be discharging the Authority’s obligation to the traveling public to ensure their safety. I would entreat any person who is desirous of engaging someone who you know nothing, to not place yourself in danger,” said Beneby.
He noted that tackling the hacking issue is “high up” on the Authority’s list.
“The goal is to stop it and regulate everybody,” he said.
The term hacking implies that a pilot or a has not received the necessary license to be operate in the country.The clampdown on the practice was initiated in 2018 after the pilot of the Piper Aztec plane who was revealed to not have a commercial pilot’s license crashed in waters off Andros, killing himself and five other people.
“We have thought out and considered all of the angles associated with hacking,” Beneby said.
“Hacking has been around since before I was born and I suspect it will continue until such time as we can bring enough energy and force to bear to discourage and prevent the persons engaged in those activities for whatever reason from dong so.
“Let me say this to traveling every single time you get on an airplane with someone not vetted by the authorities and whose capability has not been certified you are placing yourself and risk,” said Beneby.
