Captain Darren McLean: A Caymanian Helicopter Pilot With A Bright Future

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By Alric Lindsay

Captain Darren McLean, the son of Buster McLean and Gwenda McLean, is the first Caymanian to fly the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s helicopter.  He met with members of the media today, May 27, 2025, at the RCIPS Air Ops base, located inside the Atlantic Aviation hanger on Owen Roberts Drive, to share more about his journey. He also provided guidance to future generations of Caymanians who aspire to a career as a helicopter pilot.

The beginning

Curious about what triggered his career choice, we asked Captain McLean about his early influences.

Captain McLean explained:

I always wanted to fly. 

From a young age, I always loved aviation.

We had Cayman Airways, which as you know, it is every young person’s dream in Cayman to fly Cayman Airways.

Because that’s all we had.

However, things changed one day when he took a tour to see helicopters.  His love for helicopters ignited, and it was then that he decided to aspire to fly helicopters one day.

Acquiring the skills and experience

Like many other young Caymanians, to realise his dream, Captain McLean obtained international training.  This included four years in Trinidad and two years in the United Kingdom.

He explained:

You need a licence and then you need a lot of hours… a lot of experience to get to this point.

You can start off with just a licence but the route always varies.

In the circumstances, Captain McLean invested a high number of hours and was trained on different routes.

These hours and experiences on different routes helped him prepare for each stage of becoming a captain.

He explained:

So I started off as a first officer in Trinidad, which meant I flew as a co-pilot.

I built up enough time as a co-pilot where I had enough experience that someone trusted me enough and could sign me off to fly as a captain, which was what I was doing in the UK.

So in the UK, I was flying as a full-fledged captain, building up my time as a captain in the UK.

Curious about the difference between the flying conditions in Trinidad and the UK, we asked him to compare the two geographical locations.

He shared:

[In] the UK … the weather’s always changing.

… the geography of it, the mountains, mountain ranges, snow… [it’s a] different climate altogether.
 

Regarding Trinidad, he said that the weather was more in line with what he was accustomed to in the Caribbean.

Ultimately, all of this international experience prepared him to take over the role as captain with the RCIPS.

Captain Darren McLean, seen here seated in the RCIPS helicopter

Balancing work with his personal life

Now that he is back in the Cayman Islands working for the RCIPS, we asked him how he managed to balance his demanding job, where he could be called to go on a mission at any time, with his personal life.

He shared:

I have a job committed to the RCIPS and it is difficult at times because you do have to, at the whim of a moment, you have to pick up and leave to go on a job.

You can get called in all hours of the night.

He added:

And it is hard, but with a strong companion, you know, my wife, she’s has a very good heart and she puts God first and everything.

And she knows that once I’m going out there, I’m going to help someone.

I’m going to save a life, I’m going to prevent something from happening.

So it is hard, but once you have that support and of course like I said many times before, God is there to at the helm of everything. If you put Him first and everything in your life, then you can’t fail.

In addition to his wife and his faith, Captain McLean credited his parents.

He explained:

So my parents, you know, before I even met my wife, my parents, they were the ones who pushed [me].

I remember my mother was the one who put me here on my first visit years ago.

And, you know, she was the one who said, you know, darn, we’re going to get this done.

And my father was always there.

He was always keeping me in the forefront, keeping my name out there.

Advice for younger generations

Having received support along the way, we asked Captain McLean for his advice on what he would offer to the young generation of Caymanians interested in becoming pilots.

He shared:

… I would advise them to start as early as as you can.  Be ready for a long commitment.

It’s not an easy journey, but it can be done.

I’ve done it.

He added:

So, it would be a a commitment of years before you just start this because you know you see bits and pieces, but you don’t see the whole time frame.

You know… the days, the months, the years in another country, you know, away from your family, away from everyone trying to build up that experience.

Captain Darren Mclean in the helicopter hangar on Owen Roberts Drive

He concluded:

Because we don’t have training here, everything has to be done abroad.

So it’s not something where we can join in the Cayman Islands, get everything here, everything has to be done abroad.

So it’s a big commitment to be away from home for a long period of time.

Author’s note

Captain Darren McLean’s story is one that we hear frequently in the Cayman Islands.  It is hard work here and abroad, eventually becoming qualified and coming home to pursue a dream.

Like many other Caymanians, Captain McLean’s journey was not easy. It was filled with challenges (and perhaps delays) that he surpassed.

Captain McLean rose above everything, and he is where he is now. 

He is not only the proud son of Buster and Gwenda McLean, but also a bright example for younger generations of Caymanians to follow.

For the full video interview, please see the link below.