This week’s young professional has not given up his dream of becoming a pilot.

Rawle busy at work at the Control Tower at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.

awle has not given up on the dream of one day becoming a pilot.

He is one of eight Air Traffic Controllers that maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island.

“I always wanted to be a pilot, however, because of financial constraints those dreams did not come through. Still wanting to be around the aviation environment, I decided if I can’t fly, why not help the pilots,” explained Rawle on his career move.

Four years ago, the 25 year-old was certified to do just that enabling his second dream to come through.

“It’s not boring, I can tell you that. It is very hectic because it’s your calculations that pilots depend on. We are always aware that lives are at stake,” the Virgin Islander pointed out. “The position of an Air Traffic Controller is one that requires highly specialised skills.”

Part of his and other Controllers’ responsibilities is to apply separation rules to keep aircrafts apart from each other, and move all aircrafts safely and efficiently through their assigned sector of airspace.

The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) profession is regarded around the world as one of the most challenging careers, and can be notoriously stressful depending on many variables including equipment, configurations, weather, traffic volume, human factors and they are required to work shifts.

“It’s not a nine to five job and by regulations I work six hours on a shift...it’s a three shift system. So I work four days and get two days off.” Also, part of his duties as an ATC, is to aid with search and rescue if the need ever arises.

Though, loving his job, Rawle has not given up on the dream of one day becoming a pilot. This BVI High School graduate now Elmore Stout High School, is toying with the idea of obtaining his licence in the not too distant future. With a laugh he posited, “I am still young and the future has vast opportunities.”

Describing himself as motivated and ambitious, this young professional is planning to pursue his education and is optimistic that through correspondence courses, he will be able to get his Degree in Business Management - after all he is the General Manager of two local businesses!

Upon graduating from the BVI High school in 2005, Rawle immediately enrolled in the General Studies programme at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College before departing to Barbados where for six and a half months he received training at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology. After that he had to spend three and half months in Jamaica at the island’s Civil and Training Institute for his ATC license. These two courses have equipped Rawle with what is equivalent to an Associate’s Degree in his line of work.

So what does he do when not at the airport’s tower? Well, Rawle is usually busy with Hannibal Cleaning & Restoration and Hawkeye Surveillance and Security Systems.

“I know people may think that I have my hands full but to me it’s just about keeping focus and things will run smoothly,” the young professional stated.

According to Rawle, Hannibal Cleaning & Restoration is a small company located in Long Swamp that specialises in cleaning residential, commercial and industrial buildings. “We became fully operational this year. What makes us so unique is that we specialize in dry ice blasting and the sale of dry ice. Dry ice is a form of Carbon Dioxide frozen at a certain temperature. This method can clean any surface without damaging it and it is environmentally friendly in any application.”

He added, “Why go into the cleaning business you ask. I think we can deliver a service that is top notch and we bring diversity to the table.” At the moment, Rawle and his team are bidding for a contract, which he hopes will open the doors for other clients.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeye Security Service was resuscitated by the young entrepreneur this year as well. For five years the family owned business was closed. After some convincing, he persuaded his father Rawle Hannibal Snr. to re-open the security firm.

“I intend to expand both of them and because they are fairly new, I am now in marketing and promotion mode,” he disclosed. The entrepreneur also wants to dabble in events planning and promotion.

And as they say all work and no play makes “Rawle” a dull boy, this young professional takes time out once in a while to unwind. He loves sailing, travelling, tinkering with cars and flying.

Rawle hopes his lifestyle can influence his peers to follow the right path and live by his mantra which is to “never remain stagnant; just shoot for the starts... the sky is the limit!”

He admires his mother Ms. Jascinth Hannibal and a selection of “older folks” who he continues to gain a wealth of information from.