Have you ever watched baby birds receive food from a human on a nature video?  The human doing the feeding will often use a puppet to simulate the feeding process as it would be in the wild for a baby bird. Even birds that begin their life in a nest with parents will be fed with a puppet so they will recognize the process when they are eventually returned. In most cases orphaned birds will need to be taught much more than simply how to eat. Some birds, like endangered and orphaned Whooping cranes, will also be shown how to migrate for the winter by a pilot dressed like a bird and operating an ultralight plane that also looks like an adult bird.                                                                   

Operation Migration (OM) has been showing Whooping cranes the way to their winter home since 2001. They started in the 1980’s with Canada geese because “as non-endangered species, they posed fewer technical and environmental risks.”  As any resident in parts of the United States can tell you, twenty four years later and Canada geese are not even close to being considered threatened.  The non-profit group then began to lead Sandhill cranes and the information gathered proved that Whooping cranes were capable of being led as well.

The recent migration of ten Whooping cranes, which flew out of Wisconsin at the beginning of October last year, en route to Florida for the winter are grounded in Alabama after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation of the non-profit’s planes and pilots.  The investigation has nothing to do with safety as a blog written by OM’s Board of Directors, David Sakrison says,  “In August 2011 the FAA inspected our aircraft, which passed with flying colors. In November a Letter of Investigation was sent to each pilot. After discussions with the FAA in December, Operation Migration voluntarily ceased any flying while the matter is resolved. We hoped that would happen during the Christmas break, but it is taking longer than anticipated.”

The problem is regulatory and Mr. Sakrison explains,”The issue in question is whether or not OM’s pilots are flying ‘for hire’, or, for the furtherance of a non-profit. OM aircraft are licensed as Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs) which came into effect in 2008. FAA regulations prohibit flying LSAs for hire or as part of business activities. The FAA has begun the process of evaluating a waiver to OM, exempting its pilots and aircraft from that rule.

OM has always maintained that its pilots are hired for a wide range of non-flying skills and duties, and that they volunteer their time as pilots. In 2010, the FAA Flight Service District Office (FSDO) in Milwaukee investigated the status of OM’s flight operations and accepted OM’s explanation. We were told by the FSDO director that ‘no further action would be taken.’ Based on that ruling, we began the 2011 season.”

Hopefully the FAA will approve OM’s waiver after proving that the pilots volunteer their flight time and have an excellent safety record. The ten cranes are in a pen and being cared for but OM may have to drive the cranes to Florida as a back up plan. After wintering in Florida the cranes will return on their own to Wisconsin for the summer. If they do have to be driven there should be no problem for the return home if there are older cranes available to lead the way north.