This is a self-contained pilot episode for a documentary series where 2 adventurers build their own plane to land anywhere. First destination is Namibia - where they will land and follow diverse stories fuelled by the chemistry between the adventurous pilots and their frank, humorous engagement with the characters they meet who in turn reveal different facets of Namibia's history and geography.
Aviation pioneer Mike Blyth and adventurer-cum-narrator James Pitman have flown around the world in unique self-designed and built aircraft, several harrowing times.Bogged down by work pressure at their aeroplane factory, James persuades Mike to fly with him through the landscapes of Namibia, one of the best places on the planet to pull a wild landing. Besides landing in outrageously remote parts of Namibia, taking unsuspecting local inhabitants for a spin in the air, the duo uncover a dark and little-known historic event of global relevance, hang out with aviators, get an insight into the country's revolutionary approach to conservation from the mouth of its legendary creator and meet a man who walked to freedom from Namibia to Tanzania becoming Sam Nujoma's right hand doctor in refugee camps in Angola where his daughters grew up. The twin girls open the pilots' eyes to how it was to live through a war of independence. Along the way, James hears of a ghost town on an island off the Skeleton Coast. He has to find a way to land and explore this spooky place, though he knows it would be impossible to get permission to do so. It is a cross between a social-cultural and adventure documentary that uses the self-built craft to travel to remote Namibia in a non-linear way - This freedom of the skies and the chemistry between the pilots combined with their frank interactions with the worlds they land in, bring us vignettes of places, and stories in an effortless and surprising way.
The footage shot during the two production trips to Namibia has seen several versions, each new edit distilling the show to one that we now believe to be authentic. In so doing, we have had to forego many of our original set up scenes, i.e. as our desire for honesty increased, so we found ourselves cutting anything that seemed even vaguely fabricated and manipulative. Similarly, any hyped jeopardy is now toned down and the quests are, if anything, understated. Out too went the dumbed-down narration, letting scenes play out naturally, only providing links where absolutely necessary. Our aim is to entertain the viewer without them having any sense of being manipulated.
