Private Air New York

www.privateairny.com Private Air | Winter 2019/2020 41 POSTCARD PLAYING WITH FIRE Three magnificent volcanos to get up close and personal with. Heat suit not required KILAUEA Incredibly, this volcano – one of five hulks on Hawaii's Big Island – has been erupting continuously for 32 years. Currently it's rather aggressive, but in quieter phases Kilauea's roof can be reached by the extraordinary 30km Chain of Craters road. If it's not obstructed by lava, of course. PITON DE LA FOURNAISE Translated as "peak of the furnace", this 2,632m volcano on Réunion island in the Indian Ocean is known for its striking shows when cascading lava flows into the sea. Access to the caldera is sporadic, but you can still take a helicopter to within a safe distance of the action. MOUNT STROMBOLI This island volcano north of Sicily is almost always hard at work – its constant eruptions have earnt it the nickname "the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". You can see mild explosions at 400m, but a climb up to the 926m crater (for which a guide is obligatory) is unforgettable. For as long as he can remember, Geoff Mackley has been risking life and limb in pursuit of jaw-dropping video footage that shows Mother Nature at her most wild and violent. But despite multiple attempts spanning more than 15 years, close-up footage of a bubbling lake of lava in Vanuatu eluded him… until the day Geoff finally achieved his life's ambition. because the suit reflects it all back away, although you're still kind of aware that you're essentially standing in an oven. What's weird is that you're breathing this cool compressed air from the air cylinder, and yet all around you is pure mayhem. You do feel well insulated from it, but you know that if you take the suit off, you're pretty much dead. And so, I just stood there, watching this boiling rock. You're watching the heartbeat of the planet – something so powerful it's making rock boil and making it fly through the air like boiling water. ere's nothing like it. It was the top moment of my life. I stayed there on the edge for about 40 minutes, but since then, I've been down there several dozen times with film crews and people who want us to lead them down there. I know that, without exception, everyone will say it's the most amazing thing they've ever done, and it's kind of a buzz for me to expose other people to that. I'm not used to it, and I'm comfortable around it to the point where it doesn't even phase me anymore – although it probably should. When I think about standing on the edge of the lava lake for that first time, I'm still amazed that I was the first person ever to do it. ere aren't many places left on this planet where you can truly say that you're the first person to be there. Interview By: Mike Peake Illustration By: David Mahoney

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