Flight Control Platform

In The Wind Waker, the Flight Control Platform is a small wooden structure classified as an island east of Dragon Roost Island and hosts the Bird-Man Contest. It is not essential to the plot to visit/complete any objectives on this island.

The Bird-Man Contest
The Rito that control the Flight Control Platform challenge Link to a quirky mini-game: in order to win a prize, Link must traverse a specific sea distance and cross a pre-determined finish line, set out in the open ocean. The stretch of sea in question incorporates several wind vortexes into its design; the Deku Leaf is designed perfectly for catching the spinning air and pushing Link upward, aiding in his descent toward the finish line. The challenge lies in catching the vortexes; they all have paths of their own, and lay at different intervals from each other; one missed vortex may cause the young hero to run out of magic, causing his Deku Leaf to fail, subsequently losing the challenge.

The contest can only be completed with a doubled magic meter, obtainable from the fairy at Two-Eye Reef. Link will not be able to make it to the finish line with his regular meter, the distance is too great.

If completed, The Bird-Man Contest yields a Piece of Heart as the prize; moreover, the Platform Chart can also be found here by defeating all the enemies aboard the submarine south-east of the Control Deck itself. 