Lumbering creature, the Vimy dips a wing to elephants browsing on the golden plains of the Masai Mara Reserve with the stress of crossing war torn Ethiopia behind us, we revel in peaceful flying. Zebras, gazelles, and wildebeests roam just a thousand feet below. We have had no trouble with our engines over heating away large pieces of the cowlings in Egypt. But the challenge of Kenya’s high elevations remains.

Taking off central Kenya, we are confronted again with the Silver Queen’s limitations and reminded that every flight is a test flight. Weighted with fuel, she refuses to climb in the thin air above a high-elevation runaway. Skirting tree top, wait for fuel to burn off, noting in his log. There hours later we touched down on a grass strip in the Chyulu Range north of Tanzania. Apprehensive Masai examine us from a distance, then despite language barriers are quickly fascinated by our craft.