The Aviators

Piu: Flying is what we've always dreamed

Toupeira: Flying is a freedom, more here in Africa.

Pinokio: It is a passion, I do not know what I would if I could not fly

Venice: In these planes we can use the machine as we feel calling us, an ultimate freedom to fly

Travolta: We all have this passion, is not it? It's really fantastic to be in the air at the end of the day is the dream of man

Travolta: By the end of the day the plane becomes an extension of our bodies. We think and the plane follows our thoughts.

Pinokio: You take off first one time, I’ll go first another time. Want to take off today?

Piu: Take-off training, huh? 

Travolta: Yes, but two by two

Travolta: Hello Mia, are you alright?

Mia: Yes, are you ready?

Travolta: Yes we are, the dynamics of victory, let’s go.

Mia: This is already a second edition of a certain amount of craziness that is present, and there’s this sense of discovery that it’s really all of us, is it not? And here is that it combines the reunion of these pilots that I know people who came here from Mozambique, here is a marriage between the intention of finding his land with a sense of mission, I think noble, even if you think this does not solve things, but there is a spirit, there is a soul in this reunion.

[Airport card / plane parked / ceiling fan]

[Scene inside the airport]

The last time we managed to take it in a day. We took all on the same day. 

But it was the same amount? 

It was just a ton. 

That is why now that we struggled back and 3 tons, it was a shame not to deliver it. 

Good afternoon, ma’am. Today is not possible 

Ten tons ... Three! Three tons? So we have to run with the delivery.

Noemia [on phone]: This has already directed the Center for Drugs and Medical Supplies in Mozambique, is it not?

Lunch where?

No problem with that.

If you can get it today I would be grateful.

We must comply with certain procedures, is not it?

I'm on a mission, I'm here with a few Portuguese who want to donate medicines and in principle we leave here to go to receive, to the official reception, and I would love to have lunch with you, is it not?

[Outside / general aircraft]

The call signs are Piu, Travolta, Pinokio, Venice. Piu does not have to be a sign now that I'm not flying. 

What is your call sign? 

Toupeira.

[planes taking off]

Toupeira: 4 hours of independence, three people on board, total 12 people on board, 4 aircraft

Travolta: Pinokio and I'll leave here and go right to the coast. Pinokio you staywith me? I'm with you for now, I will go look for your left wing, ok

[Studio shots of the pilots in uniform - introductions]

Eduardo Maya, airline pilot aka Piu: The medium-haul Air Portugal flight from Europe involved doing some flying over Africa.

I think the name Piu comes from maya, the mayan bee, which also flies

Peter Venancio: I am an airline pilot and act as a commander at Air Portugal 

This nickname Venice derives from Venancio, the nickname was given me a few years ago by a friend

My name is Jose Eduardo Nunes, I'm a pilot

Toupeira (or Mole) - the name comes from the Air Force. It was assigned to another pilot who flew down in a nose dive

Carlos Fernandes, I'm a pilot and long-haul commander

This was in the Air Force Azores, was dancing, maim me, did the break dance in time to play with me put me that name and you're done, it was.

My name is Peter Gaivão, profession, I am a commercial pilot at this moment in Air Portugal

My flights are made as an examiner to drop new pilots

I chose Pinokio because I may have a big nose but I am not a liar

[sea in the window reflection / sand / surf]

Venice: Piu, where are you?

Pinokio: We are all behind you, Venice.

[aerial of people waving goodbye from the beach]

Not much attention may shave down in front of people, not on top of people mto may shave down, people get anxious.

It’s beautiful!

Beautiful!

Travolta: It started in 2000, 2001, a time I was on a flight, and Venancio, he was my co-pilot at the time, 320, and came from Dakar.

Venice: We started talking about Africa because the landscape that we were witnessing was a fantastic moonlight on the West African coast

Travolta: And he told me he had flown here in Mozambique.

Venice: I showed him my passion for this light aircraft and had done Cascais / Guinea-Bissau and back of all single-engine on the Chela coast

Travolta: I said to him, Venice, wow, let's make an adventure of it, which took a little while but in 2007 it started

Venice: We started our adventure in 2007 and we are now repeating in 2009 and was in this sense that the idea of doing this humanitarian expedition

[the air box / cargo terminal scenes]

The 1st time we shipped a ton of medicines. This had a lot of support from the people and civil society, which surprised us. This time of crisis, there is so much support combined in a more organized way with the government of Mozambique to bring a delivery of medicine they needed.

Noemia: These are medicines that are easily used as paracetamol and serums, and we think will be useful for patients

In this for tb is not so innocent because HA3 pilots and I were born here in Mozambique and therefore feel a bit happy

[on top of the truck in progress]

Pinokio: We are currently 24.7 miles from Inhambane.

Travolta: The freedom to fly in Africa is absolute here in Mozambique in a particular way that appeals to my heart because it's just the land where I was born

Travolta: this sport flying is a way to train our skills as pilots in other planes that, due to the automatic controls we don’t normally use much, but these, we have the pleasure of flying to grab the controls of the airplane to take you to the most extreme situations.

Travolta: Foxtrot India Juliet, this is 1 of a 4 aircraft formation with spacing of 5 miles to go direct to Inhambane.

[Inhambane airport]

Torre: copied, and the track is clear and the wind at the surface 60 degrees with 2 nodes and reports on ground, over.

[windsock / kids running in the grass]

[play / speed in the sand]

Coach francisco: go there to attack me, kicks, kicks the ball forward!

Francisco: my team has not got the ball, sometimes the owners do not give us the ball and we were even days without training.

[landings]

Francisco: found that as a surprise even those planes that came

[kids running to the field]

      

[outstretched hands]

Travolta: What’s your name honey?

laura laura .... what a beautiful name. That class is that you walk, laura?

Third ...

You know writing laura? yes. it takes a pencil to write and now a pen, you have brothers in high school? it takes them all over for you.

My role is specific to maintenance of aircraft. Make sure that everything fit for our security to run fine.

Piu: It gives a total of 320 miles. Gorongosa up? Gorongosa.320 miles up does not for this plane. emm gives a straight line up. With the fuel we have? No, full, full.

 

Toupeira: no, no fuel to do it, 'cause there refuelling station here.

Jose wedge: the promise that next year we'll help 100%.

[off / heat / plane on camera]

Venice: it is an expression that uses mto here in Mozambique, but there is missing. As it is missing we have to find other ways, in this case resort to car fuel with less octane, you should not use this many times but you can get away with it. 

[plane Pinokio / Travolta / light evening with clouds]

Pinokio: I was born in Mozambique and it is a passion, despite not living in Mozambique, I keep a link with this country

Travolta: Our situation is we get to the Chitengo by sundown.

Pinokio: the fact that we get together a group of people to make such an expedition, draws me in a way, attracts me, so I opened my heart for this expedition

Travolta: here we are with the fuel and as we are with the by-the-sun, is it not? There are two limitations, but God willing it will go well and we will get there at sunset, the entire fleet, for tomorrow we visit the Gorongosa Park

Pinokio: I went to the Air Force at 18 and 20 years came to a commission here (...) the Portuguese Air Force helicopters flew in especially high

Venice: Chitengo with you in sight?

Travolta: yes

Venice: see well or not?

Travolta: looks, you can see the lane well

Pinokio: Beware of antennas, there may be

Paulo Marques: this car with a four turn signals connected down there

[car headlights]

[landing]

Pinokio: such a course?

Travolta: the track is good, he lands at the foot of the car

Pinokio: ok

[landing in Chitengo]

Venice: Spectacular! Landed at almost the same time, here by sundown

[Venice closes the plane]

[Vasco sequence / mobile phone / enter the van]

Vasco: I worked in several countries, lived in Italy, lived in Florence, lived in Milan, worked in Spain and worked many years in Portugal

[Impalas / african macdonald]

Adolfo: the number of females is determined by the force that has both male varies from one to 40, depends on the strength he has to get as many females

Adolfo: one in each buttock and a third in the middle of the tail that forms a kind of M that we call african mcdonald

Vasco: I had relations with Mozambique since my basketball playing days

Vasco: years 5 years ago I returned to find one of my colleagues in sports, who was a good friend, we were really good mates

Vasco: he said to me a very funny thing: Vasco, the Saturday we, the veterans of basketball, the bald, the paunchy, we are all there and we play in Algés, Why are you in London this Saturday, why do not come play with us?

[Antilope]

I like the elephant and the lions and the antelope.

Vasco: Unfortunately on Friday this week there was a problem in businesses in Italy and I had to go to Milan unexpectedly without telling anyone

I am on Sunday to consult the internet and see a picture of my friend who died in that train of friendship

Vasco, then took a radical decision, I resigned from my job, fulfilling my professional obligations, I tried to leave things more or less organized and went to do the Camino de Santiago

I went for a walk on foot, 800 km from Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela

Travolta: I was born in the border town, my father was the railway and railway transzambezia visited, came here once to Gorongosa 

Greg Carr: When I discovered the Gorongosa National Park, I found it magnificent, the most beautiful place. Since, I got to know the history of Gorongosa and know that for 40, 50 years this was the largest park in the whole of Africa.

Vasco: there were 14,000 buffalo, 5,000 wildebeest, zebras 5000 (...) and then there were many lions, 500 lions and elephants and such 2000, 2000 and such hippos.

Greg Carr: During the war the park has lost 90% of their animals and size.

[Old pictures / animals / pictures of tourists]

Tatu: There was death in the park at the time of war

[War images]

Tatu: his brothers fought in the war?

They fought, all of them, some were in Renamo, some in Frelimo. 

Did they survive? 

Not all are dead. They left me seven children, first my older brother left me four sons and the second was in Frelimo, this left me three children.

Vasco: These animals have virtually disappeared during the period of conflict, our concern is with Gorongosa is that we repopulate the animals that once characterized it.

[Images / sting gate park / animal]

Tatu - I heard that in 2005 a billionaire Mr. Greg, an American, Greg, was coming to set up the Carr Foundation project

Greg Carr: I established a 20-year agreement with the Mozambican government to restore Gorongosa.

Greg Carr: I promised a total of 30 to 40 million dollars and have already spent that money.

Tatu: I am now head of the club, now working at the bar, I control is that the drinks, control everything that comes into the bar, tickets, the money, all this is that I control

Greg Carr: I learned that I do not need much to be happy.

Tatu: Born in Vinho? Yes. Lives in Vinho? Live in the Vinho. Comes every day to work here? I come from a canoe.

[Boat to arrive and lock / river boat / Vasco and others in the boat]

Every morning the workers who live in Vinho, a large supplier of hand labor in Chitengo, cross the river in this boat and canoe and the end of the day is the same show, is returning home.

[naked man washing clothes on the bank]

[Workers in single file in the grass/ kids with canes]

Vasco: go fishing? ok, strength, good fishing

[Complete primary school Vinho]

Roberto Gomes: I am a professor in the wine since 2004

Roberto Gomes: From the beginning was a tree, we were under the trees, then with the passage of time the park itself has made a block with local material.

Vasco: We asked what their aspirations were and they said, to have a school, to have a health center, to have wells with access to drinking water. We have done all this.

[boar grazing along the plane]

[plane takes off over the camera]

[GORONGOSA map / TETE / BLANTYRE / Lake Niassa]

[wheel plane / thick vegetation]

Travolta: this is the Zambezi River is a river 

[large rises in Angola, through the Zambia ...]

Travolta: We have the railway bridge that was built was the highest railroad bridge in the world has more than 4 km and I lived next to this bridge

Travolta: my house! this time there is cool! I lived there before I left Mozambique

Travolta: here is the river where Pinokio had an accident 

Pinokio: I've had here an accident near Tete. Here I was starting a troop each 60 miles (...) It was a heli cannon, a weapon that we used to make protection for commands (...) I came down on the river and the Office of the GPZ Zambezi plan, had hung a steel cable between two baobab trees across the river (...) and I unfortunately hit the steel cables in the river and falls. Luckily for me, I managed to get away, the other two who were with me unfortunately died in the accident, I was alone.

Pinokio: what I'm doing now is to revive things I did 39 years ago, which is 38 years of extraordinary pleasure

Pinokio: a sample of fuel: it is good, no water!

Venice: Toupeira, you're miles from Likoma?

Piu: Miles

Piu: I had never come here before. It is beautiful, the lake is completely wild, as can be seen.

Toupeira: what is different here ... the immensity, the little traffic there.

Venice: this part of Africa can fly low, high, along the water, we can do many things, calling in an ultimate freedom to exercise the flight

Piu: We parked the planes farther away from each other!

Piu: Well, I'm leaving okay

Venice: Where are you?

Piu: At your side!

[clouds coming out of the lake, spiral]

Piu: I think that some are volcanic springs of water that eventually, because they will evaporate on the hot surface

Venice: This is one of the most beautiful flights of my life as a pilot!

Piu: Seriously? Why?

Venice: Watch Out!

Piu: Let's land in Likoma Island.

[Wheel touches the ground and rolls]

Venice: we are in the Lake Nyasa

amazing nature, and calm as you can see

Venice: When my finished pilot training in 1992, there was no work. Portugal came here looking for work in Mozambique.

Venice: I was an air taxi pilot. The so-called bush pilot here in Africa, I flew to districts, cooperating with engineers who would carry out her duties in maintenance work, flew in cooperation with the Swedish and then with the United Nations. I flew a committee of refugees with UNHCR near here, from the area of Lake Malawi to here by the refugee camps.

[clouds of smoke into the lake]

Venice: Initially all of us, the radio stations thought it was something volcanic, 'cause it seemed, seemed a kind of out of the water, later when we arrived here at the lodge, it was explained to us that columns of insects were grouped and gave that fantastic effect. 

[full moon / chorus]

Travolta: Read the New Testament

Pinokio: Who takes the Bible?

Travolta: I am.

Pinokio: You read the Bible?

Travolta: Always.

Pinokio: Why?

Travolta: In order to read about the right way to be!

Travolta: I'm not virtuous, which is my misfortune, but I want to see what I could become.

Pinokio: The preparation of the flight is always different, depending on whether it is a good time or not. When I do a flight between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro, I have to know the winds en route. If it takes 10 hours of flight, we start to worry about fuel consumption.

[Lake Malawi map]

[cockpit and clouds]

Venice: Travolta you listening?

Travolta: Transmit

Venice: Where are you going?

Travolta: To the right of the downpour.

Venice: All the way to the right? You don’t want to go through that hole there in the middle?

Travolta: I'll be alright.

Venice: then go, I'll follow.

[dark clouds / rain]

[raindrops on the glass]

Toupeira: We cannot enter inside the clouds, the showers are very strong, we can’t see anything because it's just a complete downpour.

Venice: Rain clouds tend to form during the afternoon drop in temperature.

Toupeira: That is one of the charms of Africa for me - the sounds of thunderstorms in the late afternoon.

[Cloud / sunshine / wing / open window]

Venice: the vertical are the Zambezi!

Travolta: Beautiful! 

Pinokio: Here is the airport that supports Cahora Bassa dam, the Cahora Bassa dam near this one 1 km down the road.

[water out of the dam / steam]

Venice: the magnificence of the dam is one thing that shivers up

Humberto: I came here, you went to Tete?

Pinokio: When I was the air service, I stayed here in Tete. I highlighted with the helicopter over time and spent time here.

Humberto: Then by chance I met the other riders at Santos.

Pinokio: Yes

Venice: We do not have clearance to fly over the Zambia.

Piu: It had a spirit of mission, a mission of humanitarian aid, to combine flying with a mission I think is the ideal goal for those who like to fly

Venice: The planes are ready, we have fuel.

Piu: We are four generations of pilots and some say it is unique in the world.

Venice: Another half hour!

Piu: My great-grandfather fought with the Poles was the pilot of a Royal Air Force who fought in the 1st World War

Venice: Hello, good morning again, my name is Pedro, I called you 30 minutes ago, regarding the clearances to Lusaka to the 4th Aircraft, hung up!

[pencil on the floor / silence / pencil barullho]

Venice: Since I can remember, I always wanted to be a pilot.

[Map of the Cahora Bassa - LIVINGSTONE]

   

[falls and river]

 

Venice: what is your position Pinokio?

Pinokio: I'm on top of the falls at this time, going south but almost over them. 

 

[cataracts]

[fog / steam cataracts]

[Zambezi / fog or boat slip in]

[fog / river seems that smokes]

Jonathan: We are in Zambia. And in that side? This side of the river is Zimbabwe 

Jonathan: We have many Zimbabweans in Zambia. They’re fleeing their country. Some of them are doing housecleaning in Zambian houses, some of them in Livingstone. When they get paid, they take the money back to their country. Sometimes they are too weak for food, which is bad

Gail: Sometimes we all hear shots going off on the Zimbabwean side sometimes because they are shooting for meat, or but sometimes something is going on, though we are not sure what it is.

Jonathan: Those with the pink ears, they are the females, and those with the black face they are the males

Gail: It’s normal, I think when we are used to, they’re in your world you just involve them and you know to be careful, and you know to look, and I suppose it’s like to living in a city and you know to stop if there’s a car when you cross the road.

Jonathan: David Livingstone was the first European to come to Africa and the first white person to discover the Victoria Falls. It is something very tremendus, something very big, something we can’t imagine. It’s one of the wonders of the world.

Edwin: Right now you are at the Victoria Falls.

Edwin: We have an increase in tourists who would rather see the falls from the Zimbabwean side but come to the Zambian side because it is dangerous to go and stay in Zimbabwe.

[Map LIVINGSTONE / Okavango Delta, Botswana]

[entrance to the beautiful Okavango Delta Blue]

[hippo]

Pinokio: I'm sick of hunting: all the antelopes, elephants, giraffes. I thought I saw rhinos there but I'm not sure

Travolta: I’m looking at family of elephants, 20 or 30 there to take bath, what a  sight!

Venice: We are heading in the direction of Xarakai, a track in the woods where we will stay two days

[plane after plane along the river]

Travolta: this is more or less threading to the right of the track, there are several jeeps and several homes here in the area. There is a road that goes to the runway but it is a bit waterlogged.

Venice: Do not know where you are looking at houses!

[road and water]

By the sun on the horizon / marsh

Venice: It is full of elephants.

[wheels covered with shrubs]

Travolta: We have to cover the wheels because of hyenas and other animals, but the hyenas particularly like to bite the tires of the aircraft, and here there is no network, there is no fence, there is nothing, it is wild land. 

[plane passing / bird / yellow light]

Piu: We can not leave the aircraft in the road.

Travolta: At night? Who is going to land here at night?

Piu: And tomorrow?

Toupeira: Who's come here to take the planes?

Venice: We will take it, are you listening?

Travolta: You think you see elephants?

Piu: No!

Travolta: Sure!

[plane to roll / parking / big sky]

[take luggage from plane]

[evening / tree / jeep at night (?)]

[hen of the woods to sing / dawn]

[the morning light / jeep in the bog / sun rise ]

Here where we are it's an island called Babun island. This is where we usually usually do the game drives. 

Toupeira: We're doing a game drive best known for safari in Botswana in search of animals. We are in the Okavango Delta.

This is giraffe, the longest is divided, we see the line in the middle of the foot, this is Zebra.

Giraffe! See the giraffe?

Along the trunk or the giraffe

[Gnus / oxen horses]

General rule: for game like zebras and gnus, you just look around in the bushes or open areas as we find these now. Just keep looking, that's the trick, keep looking all the time.

[Zebras]

Toupeira: I was used to having pets at home, I think it's really important for children to go on to develop this curiosity and above all respect for wildlife.

Lions are one of the most dangerous animals here. Buffalo are very unpredictable in terms of behaviour when they are injured. They never show any sign, compared with elephants and other animals. Leopards, one of the big five, are considered the most dangerous.

Toupeira: Unfortunately for them, these trees are a wonderful candy for the elephants. They love this kind of trees. Sometimes herds pass and eat them plain and simple.

Matt: My favourite animal is the cheetah. Why? Because I like the way their hunting technique is speed. He spots the prey and then chases her to kill her.

  

As an industry, tourism is now second only to diamonds. It is doing a great deal of good in the country, very nice.

Toupeira: What brought you to this expedition? First the humanitarian mission undoubtedly was a dream since I was kid. I wanted to be useful in some way for the people who are at the end of the day are my countrymen. I was born in Mozambique.

[arrival of the lions]

We have several lions, we have one lady by her self, we have the pride of this five and three boys, Those are the lions we are familiar with.

Piu: I was a little apprehensive. The lion was so close to us. Well, apparently they see the jeep as a whole. 

That was good luck. Depends how lucky we are in the bush, never know what you eat in, Mother Nature Provide

[jeep in the water / bridge ]

Josiah: Sometimes it can happen. You can get stuck 3 times in one game drive, we've been lucky this morning so now it’s happenened.

Venice: take the new memory landscapes

Lake Niassa, Victoria Falls, Okavango Delta here

lying: this is beautiful tb is different but the Niassa was what I liked most

Pinokio: I think that Josiah had a bit of overconfidence, no?

In fact it was quite difficult to take the drugs from the airport

Noemia: on behalf of the government of Mozambique, I am grateful for this

Venice: Things to tell my children at home

Cristina: It was until now the journey of my life

Mole: I am definitely in love with Africa

Travolta: Tomorrow we will fly again and we have many hours ahead

[dust / air / huge sun]

[white desert and sky]

Travolta: flying here in the Kalahari desert is fantastic

Pinokio: It is an incredible feeling of freedom, a feeling of pleasure

[sand / flat desert]