In April of this year, accomplished pilot Paul Wikander became the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards administered by the Federal Aviation Administration and will attend the official awards ceremony in August.
Paul Wikander, born in Highland Park, Michigan, in 1940, knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in aviation. As a child he would spend hours watching the planes land and take off at the nearby airport, completely enthralled in the mechanics of the machine and the way it soared through the sky. At the age of 13, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and would go on to complete his first solo flight to Wichita, Kansas, by the age of 16.
“I’ve always admired flying. I loved watching the birds and flying squirrels move from tree to tree. Eventually, this interest would move to planes. It’s all I thought about for as long as I could remember,” said Wikander.
In 1958, at the age of 18, Wikander joined the United States Coast Guard, where he quickly became an aircraft mechanic. Just two short years later, he was awarded his Air Crewman Wings, an award bestowed upon military personnel who acquire the training and qualifications required by military aircraft crews.
In 1961, while stationed in Puerto Rico, Wikander traveled to St. Thomas, where he met a woman named Margaret Greaux, who resided in Frenchtown. After a whirlwind romance, they married in November of 1961, and together, they started the commuter airline service Virgin Air, later known as Air St. Thomas.
Greaux, whose father immigrated from Saint Barthélemy, was intimately aware of the hardship that French people faced in maintaining invaluable ties with their families on the island. Up until the establishment of Virgin Air in 1970, a trip from St. Thomas to Saint Barthélemy required a chartered plane and was often cost-prohibitive. Once established, the airline would be the first U.S. carrier to provide daily flights to and from Saint Barthélemy, including mail and newspaper services. These flights allowed for families that had been long separated, to be reunited once more.
“I flew to Saint Barthélemy for so many years that I felt included in these families. I became invested in bringing families back together again, whether it was through physically transporting people or carrying letters,” said Wikander.
The only airport in Saint Barthélemy is considered one of the most challenging runways to land on in the world due to its short length and the topography of the mountainous terrain. Pilots are required to attain a specialty certification in order to land there. Wikander’s ease in successfully landing on the challenging runway in Saint Barthélemy gardened him designation from the French government to train other pilots in navigating the unique complexities of the runway.
In addition to the flight route provided to Saint Barthélemy, the airline also offered flights to St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands, as well as charter service throughout the Caribbean. This included cargo services, which brought essential resources to the community, including livestock, fish, milk, bread, and a surplus of baggage from the overflow of major airlines.
Throughout the course of Wikander’s aviation career, he would offer extensive assistance to many of the community’s needs, including live reporting for WSTA-AM 1340 with longtime radio personality Lee Carl, working alongside the Virgin Islands Police Department to conduct aerial searches for missing cars and bank robbers, air ambulance services, search and rescue, and mortuary services. Additionally, Wikander led sightseeing tours for visitors and carried skydivers and photographers for scenic trips.
In November 2015, Wikander was awarded the Honorary Citizenship Medal of Saint Barthélemy for being a pioneer in aviation and for his invaluable contributions to the people of Saint Barthélemy.
During his honoring ceremony, the President of the Community Council, Bruno Magras, would say this of Wikander:
”For over thirty years, you have been the daily link between St. Thomas and Saint Barthélemy. With the Virgin Air airline, which later became Air St. Thomas, you transported the men and women in search of a better future, but above all, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters happy to tighten family ties. Your planes have carried the news, in the form of mails, newspapers, small packages designed for one and all, making you a real mailman. Such a strong link you provided to these two communities so that all know you and affectionately called you by your first name “PAUL”. This link is not one to break because it is witness of a time we cannot forget, a part of our history shipped by the passion of aviators of your temper. Your first concern was to unite people and to create links between the islands that make up our region. By your action, your commitment and your courage, you have contributed to human and economic development of Saint Barthélemy, became the haven of modernity that makes us proud every day.”
After accumulating over 28,000 flying hours and over 30 years of flying in the Caribbean, in April of this year, Wikander was awarded both the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.
The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is designated for senior mechanics and the acknowledgment of their lifetime achievements and is regarded as the most prestigious award administered by the FAA for aviation mechanics. The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is bestowed upon individuals who exemplify extraordinary aviation expertise, distinguished professionalism, and steadfast commitment for at least 50 years of piloting experience. This award is also regarded as the most prestigious award a pilot can be honored with. According to the FAA, although many people have won both of these awards individually (over 12,000 to date), very few individuals have received both awards, making it a very rare and special honor to receive both.
In August, Wikander will attend his official awards presentation in Florida, where he currently resides and continues to be active in the aviation world, including participating in programs such as the Quiet Birdmen of Vero Beach, Florida, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the Old Farts Flying Club of Port St. Lucie, Florida.
“Even before I could fly, I knew I loved flying and I’ll continue to be around it as long as life permits,” Wikander said.
