Visitors stepping into the lobby of the Government Flying Service headquarters at Chek Lap Kok are greeted by an imposing wooden panel bearing the names of some 60 pilots and aircrew who have received awards for bravery.
Each name represents a different story of selfless determination in rescuing people in danger of drowning at sea, dying after a fall or starving to death after getting lost in remote areas of the New Territories.
When the next 20 names are added to the roll of honour, no one will be more familiar with each act of heroism than Brian Butt Yiu-ming, the first Chinese controller of the Government Flying Service (GFS), who retires today after 10 years leading the service.
Mr Butt, 51, said there were plenty of things he would miss after today, such as the daily walk from his office to the hangar to greet his pilots, aircrew and aircraft engineers in an environment that is kept meticulously clean and organised, with every tiny item neatly stored at arm's length. The hangar is his favourite place, where he enjoys chatting and sharing the latest experiences of his pilots and their crews.
When the GFS was set up in April 1993, it represented arguably the first solid step by the then colonial government to demonstrate that Hong Kong was really to be returned to China in a few years. The GFS took over the duties of its predecessor, the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF).
Mr Butt joined the RHKAAF in 1986 as its first local full-time pilot. Previously, he had been a police chief inspector specialising in the detection of counterfeit banknotes.