...and that meant it's high time to start the recon activity over the newly revealed potential home of Cpt. Hak and the Geothermal Organic Scientific Hemp Cooperation (GOSH Co.). I've done a good deal of diplomatic work with the native inhabitants, the tribal leaders and many interesting characters on this beautiful spot on the earth. These contacts allowed to form a plan for closeup discovery and recon of the island features from the air. The previous inhabitants didn't know anything about the art of flying - and some locations have not been visited since ages , if the have been visited at all. So, the mood was set: we were about to make one of the last discoveries in the modern world - a totally unknow land that has been lying in the mist for centuries. Now that the clouds slowly disappear, and that brave dESPairados arrived with their "flying machines"... it was high time to start exploring the island.

Cpt. Brick was ready to fly with me, as it is never a good idea to do such recon flights on your own...

Interestingly, our ground grew found remains of ancient runway like structures and was able to construct two conrete and sphalt runways as well as pave a grass strip in a very short time. Cpt. Brick and I started our trip on that airport, using two freshly checked and nicely maintained DHC6-300's.

After a good while of VFR cruise around the sometimes bizarre topography, we found a valley that provided a nice remote landing location. And we gave it a go to test the location for later use in various operations:

A satellite shot of us sitting there at the end of the valley:

Taking off was a adrenalin rush... you fly straigh towards a huge steep wall of almost tropical vegetation... no blue skies visible here:

Here we see Cpt. Brick seconds after lift off - dropping well below the start plateau... thatis what makes a dESPairado's heart jumping in joy...

Soon after, I was up in the air too, catching up with Brick who was cruising cautiously in the narrow valley: Way below you see the hot air balloon from our ground crew that was doing atmospheric research. In such a unknown, uncharted area it is vital to get crucial meteorological information as soon as possible...