Following the request by Andrew Muir of The Wilderness Foundation, The Bateleurs undertook to fly a group of fourteen extremely influential Americans, representing the International Conservation Caucus, over the Baviaanskloof Reserve in the Eastern Cape on the 17th January 2006. 

Our photo shows some of the US Visitors with Prof. Graham Kerley (far right) of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.  Prof. Kerley gave the background briefing on the Baviaanskloof  Reserve before the flight. 

Bateleur pilots who responded to our call for volunteers were Mark Andrew, Peter Berning and Chris Booysen, and all plans and arrangements were confirmed for a busy day's flying.  But - this was one of those missions when everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  First, bad weather set in and Mark Andrew was unable to fly from Knysna to Port Elizabeth to carry his share of the VIPs;  secondly, Peter Berning was subpoenaed as an expert witness in a court case, and was forced to withdraw at the very last minute;  thirdly, the itinerary for the visitors had changed and they were now running on a very tight schedule indeed.  And that left our stalwart Chris Booysen, on his own in a Cessna C210, to pull the rabbit out of the hat.  And he did - in the person of Mark Snelgar and a Cessna Caravan provided by Sheltam Grindrod in Port Elizabeth.  Mark became a volunteer Bateleur pilot specifically for this mission, the Americans saw the Baviaanskloof, the Wilderness Foundation was delighted, and Chris Booysen lived happily ever after - with perhaps just a few more grey hairs courtesy of The Bateleurs.