wo bright yellow trikes hum through a misty, saffron sunrise. Between them a long line of black and white Canada geese undulates on stiff wings. Since the beginning of time, has one species ever taught another to migrate?

On October 19, 1993, that is exactly what Bill Lishman and Joe Duff did in their Cosmos trikes, leading 36 geese from Ontario, Canada to a wintering site at Airlie Center in Warrenton, Virginia.

In addition to the pilots there was a support crew of eighteen, using several ground vehicles, two boats and other aircraft. Dozens more were involved in providing landing sites along the way, meals, finances, scientific expertise, publicity and many other details. The next year the successful flight was repeated and extended even further to the Tom Yawkey wildlife refuge on the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. This accomplishment was celebrated in a major movie, "Fly Away Home."

The purpose of the experiment was to show that migration routes of birds such as geese, Trumpeter swans and nearly extinct Whooping cranes can be reestablished — USING ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT! This is something that was not possible until recently, according to Joe Duff.

Bill Lishman’s original attempt to "fly with the birds" was done with a highly customized Easy Riser biplane. Eventually, he and Joe Duff used bright yellow Cosmos trikes to lead the geese on the migration southward. The trikes use modified 19 square-meter wings and quiet six-bladed Ivo-props on Rotax 503 engines, providing a flight envelope of 28 to 58 mph in order to stay with the birds. Canada geese cruise at about 35 mph. Since human heavier-than-air flight began with the Wright brothers flying at 45 mph and has been speeding up ever since, it has been only since the advent of low and slow ultralights that we have been able to actually stay with the true avians which we imitate so crudely. In other words, ultralights can do something which has not been done by any other branch of aviation. It may someday prove to be one of the most important missions of any aircraft in the past century.

The true story of Operation Migration is recorded in a $10 video entitled "Ultrageese." A book by William Lishman entitled Father Goose, is illustrated with magnificent color photos by Joe Duff. Cost is $20, available through Operation Migration.

At first glance it seems Joe, Bill and the many others involved in the migration projects have soared into fame with the ease of a bird in flight. The movie "Fly Away Home" hints at the troubles they went through, but the actual crises were even more traumatic than the human drama invented by Hollywood.

Bill’s struggle to teach himself how to fly and develop a suitable aircraft is one overlooked part of the story. Another is his boyhood dream to "fly with the birds," which was magically fulfilled one September day when a large flock of ducks rose around his Easy Riser. This led to dreams of training large migrating birds to fly with his ultralight. Yet Bill’s first attempt to raise trumpeter swans was shattered when the Canadian Wildlife Service abruptly seized the birds despite the permits he believed were valid. This, and ongoing frustrations as he tried to use Canada geese instead, almost kept Operation Migration from becoming reality.

Fortunately, the experiment with the geese was successful. The first flights during 1988 and 1990 proved that migratory birds could be taught to fly in formation with the Easy Riser. The October trek of 1993, and another the next year, completed the initial proof. Almost all of the birds returned to their starting point in Ontario on their own the next spring. Finally, the organization had the credibility, expertise and support needed to re-introduce endangered species to migration routes by using ultralight aircraft. It was time to begin working with cranes.

Only 180 migratory Whooping cranes remain, in one vulnerable flock. The first "dress rehearsal" migratory flight (using Sandhill cranes) is planned for the fall of this year to take advantage of cooler weather. Cranes are very sensitive to temperature, becoming overheated easily. Like geese and other large birds, they sometimes drop their feet to act as cooling radiators. The route from central Wisconsin to a new wintering site on the Florida Gulf Coast will avoid populated areas. Isolated landing sites along the way are needed to reduce the danger of the cranes becoming imprinted on humans. Even in flight the pilots wear mesh disguises. Cranes that have imprinted on humans may later attack to drive rivals away during the nesting season.

Flying with cranes is different from flying with Canada geese. For one thing, the geese are "flat flyers" from take-off to landing. To lose altitude quickly they "whiffle" by tucking a wing and dropping ten or fifteen feet, sometimes almost upside down. Cranes are soaring birds having huge wingspans relative to their weight. To slow down they simply drop their landing gear and "stand up" in the air. They will hold this steep, stalled descent to within fifty feet of the ground. Staying with them requires a lot of concentration by the lead pilot. Turns must be slow and gradual. The human leader has to practically fly backwards watching the birds following behind. As when flying with geese, it is necessary to have a second ultralight acting as chase plane and navigator.

Depending on the results of this year’s work, flights with Whooping cranes will begin in 2001. This will be the longest ultralight-led migration yet attempted. Five trips are planned to establish a self-sustained flock of at least twenty-five breeding pairs within five to ten years. After that, Joe and Bill would like to see Operation Migration expand to help save other bird populations in Japan, Russia and other parts of the world.

Why? Why should we be concerned with other species when we humans have problems threatening our own survival? As Bill Lishman points out in his book Father Goose (page 206), the human race is not yet housebroken — or "planet-broken." We have fouled our own nest to the point of triggering global changes that we do not fully understand. Awareness of this has resulted in fear, collective guilt and "knee-jerk" reactions which complicate the issues even more. Just when clear thought and cooperative action are most essential, he says, we tend to fall into squabbles between opposing groups. Perhaps what we need most is for a lead goose — like Bill Lishman or Joe Duff — to simply take-off and let the rest of the flock follow along the route to safety.

Leading a few birds cross-country with a pair of humming ultralights may not seem like much at first, but it may turn out to be the only way to our own survival as a species. Look again at the rhythmic perfection of the goose flying on our collective wingtip and sense the miracle of its flight through a misty, saffron sunrise. For that moment, at least, we can be truly alive and know that life is worth living.

You can become involved by joining Operation Migration with a $100 membership or by adopting a crane. Fifty dollars will sponsor a "Millennium" Sandhill crane, or $75 will make you the "parent" of one of the first whooping cranes introduced into the new migration route. Ultralight clubs may want to participate as a group. Many individuals have also volunteered time to help with the migrations or have made their properties available to host the birds and support crews. Private landing sites between Wisconsin and Florida are being sought, preferably with ponds or marsh and no houses, dogs or people nearby. If you know of such places, please inform Joe Duff or Bill Lishman at 1-800-675-2618 or visit the website at http://operationmigration.durham.net. 

Twenty-five copies of Bill Lishman’s unique aircraft are being crafted by Larry Mauro, an early Easy Riser pioneer. They are available for a price tag of $25,000 each as fundraising for Operation Migration. This includes a special trailer, wing covers and checkout training.

Each Easy Riser is a custom piece of technical art with clear mylar covered shiny aluminum wings. Assembly and disassembly takes about one hour. Weight is 185 lbs fully fueled. Wingspan is 28', height 7.5' and length is 15.5'. The biplane configuration gives it a load strength of +6G -4G. Top speed is 55 mph, cruise 48 mph and it stalls at 20 mph — though this is a "non-event" where the plane simply begins to settle with the nose held up by the canard.

This is said to be the best plane to "fly with the birds," which is what it was designed to do. Bill Lishman tells of herding a flock of wild geese back toward his Purple Hill home in a desperate attempt to recover his experimental group, only to realize later that his tame Canada geese had already landed and were waiting for him. Obviously, it is maneuverable enough to turn with a goose in flight. When he tried to make the Easy Riser spin for a crash into a cornfield scene in the movie, it simply would not do it. The plane even automatically pulls out of a dive at 45 mph. Under full power with all 24 hp, drag from cables and struts keeps it from exceeding the top speed. The original foot-launched Easy Riser was weight-shift controlled resulting in some early accidents due to PIO (pilot induced oscillation). Bill’s version is flown with a single stick — no pedals — connected to wingtip drag rudders. These bank the aircraft perfectly. In fact, he says it is impossible to make uncoordinated turns or to cross-control. One drawback is that landings and takeoffs must be generally into the wind rather than cross-wind — but then that is the way the birds do it, too.