Botswana 2009

Dean flying over BoliviaIt is proposed to organise a series of televised scientific and community aid expeditions involving the use of hybrid air/water borne paramotors and 4x4 vehicles in different areas of the world. The first scientific expedition will be to Botswana and Zambia and consist of the following tasks:

Botswana

The expedition will begin with a 4/5 day survey of the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, patronised by the President of Botswana, 330kms north of Gabarone followed by 1 day of travel to the Makgadikgadi Pans. This will be followed by a 3/4 day survey of a 1000 year old fishing village at Kubu in the Makgadikgadi Pans, an area of vast emptiness ravaged by waves where there is no longer any trace of water. Kubu is also the location which inspired Wilbur Smith to write the book ‘The Sunbird’. After this team will spend 3/4 days surveying the Tsodilo Hills, a World Heritage site famous for unique rock art south of the Okavango Delta. The main focus of the expedition will be a 10/12 day survey of the Selinda spillway, an area where a channel of water has flown in both directions over the past 60 years. It was once possible to canoe this channel from the Victoria Falls to the Okavango. The story that the channel can flow either way still persists, despite the 30m height difference. The area is known to be very unstable tectonically and the Savute channel periodically ‘switches on’ and ‘switches off’ over decades and the reasons for this are not understood. The study of the Selinda Spillway will seek to establish why this extraordinary event occurs. Half of the Selinda passes through a protected wildlife area where increased water will greatly benefit the animals and help the local economy. The Survey aims to discover why there is no water in some areas and what needs to happen for it to appear.

Adapting a paramotor for water bourne transport needsZambia

The team will then head north for a 4/5 day survey of the Just a Drop water projects in and around southern Zambia. The expedition will support the charity Just a Drop and sponsorship funds will be put towards the development of a new water project in Zambia. This will be followed by 4/5 days of aerial medical support by Paramotor in and around southern Zambia.

The expedition will culminate with the Paramotors flying around the Victoria Falls and hopefully in the gorge below; a visually stunning way to finish an exploration of water in this part of the world.

Length of the Expedition: 38 - 45 Days (5/6 Weeks)

The Team

The Parajet Volution Paramotor

This expedition and future expeditions will be organised and run by John Blashford Snell, President of the Scientific Exploration Society and Alex Ledger from SkySchool. Alan Morton from Proactive TV will handle all filming and television and Dean Eldridge from SkySchool will assist with the organisation and planning.

The Expedition team will consist of the following individuals:

  • 1 director/driver to handle administration: John Blashford- Snell
  • 2 paramotor pilots: Alex Ledger and Dean Eldridge
  • 1 local agent/driver to liaise with authorities and act as a guide
  • 4 local specialists: Archaeologist, zoologist, surveyor and a water specialist
  • 3 man film team: Alan Morton and a 2 man team from Proactive TV

The Equipment

The vehicles will be Toyota Land Cruisers which will run on Bio Diesel. The paramotors will be specially modified Parajet Volution Macros capable of over 5 hours flying time. The powergliders will be Paramania Revolutions and Action GT's capable of reaching an airspeed of up to 65 kmph. The boats will be Avon inflatables capable of being modified to incorporate the Parajet Macro.

Further Information

Potential sponsors are welcome to contact us directly for further information or to request a detailed breakdown of the Botswana 2009 expedition.