Generally this film sets my teeth on edge; especially Meryl Streep’s faux-Danish accent and Robert Redford’s lack of an English one. But I do love the stunning beauty of Kenya itself paired with John Barry’s terrific soundtrack.
For my money, the best moments in this lengthy clip run from 6:40 to the end, and feature a de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth (registry G-AAMT). You know this was prior to extensive CGI use, so someone actually took a Gipsy Moth out to Kenya and flew it around in front of the camera. Of special note is the segment from 9:10 to the end, where the Moth buzzes flamingoes along a lakeshore at quite low altitude. According to IMDB, the pilot for this footage was Wing Commander Sir Henry Arthur Dalrymple-White, 2nd Baronet, DFC, a veteran of the Second World War who resided in Kenya and kept flying until his 80th year. Sir Henry passed away in Nairobi on June 30th, 2006.
Chris is most often found flying a desk, but he delights in studying the Golden Age of Aviation (1919-1939). He admires all the pioneering men and women who navigated the skies with nothing more sophisticated than a map, compass and sextant—and the conviction that there was no place they could not reach.
