November 3, 2002 Day 22 Smooth Sailing to Boone County, IN 16 launched, Nov. 3, 2002 One Lagging Crane Nov. 3, 2002 Photos OM for WCEP At 7:43 a.m. eastern time three trikes took off from Indiana's Benton county in calm air and chilly temps (27 degrees). Joe was in the lead position with all 16 birds. As he gained altitude and made a slow sweeping turn to bring the cranes on course, 15 of them broke away. Now the game is on! Chase pilot Brooke moved in to lead this large group, while Joe carried on with the one bird that stuck with him. Richard and Bill circled overhead, ready to move into position in needed. Then one bird dropped off from Brooke's group. Richard quickly maneuvered his aircraft into position in front of the dropout. Brooke kept going with 14 birds, flying at a slightly lower altitude than Joe. But as they approached Joe's lead trike, all of Brooke's birds decided to veer right and climb to re-join the single crane off Joe's right wingtip! That put Brooke back in his starting position as chase pilot. At last all the birds appeared satisfied. They were rewarded with air as smooth as glass. After 1 hour and 13 minutes, they everyone landed in Boone county, Indiana with another 48.3 miles logged on the journey south! Last Fall This Fall Map the Migration Make your own map using the latest migration data Try This! Journaling Questions How does today's flight compare with the flight on November 3, 2001? You may remember that the bird flying closest to the wing gets the easiest flight because it gets the most lift, from the wake of air as it rolls off the large wing of the ultralight. Listen to OM pilot Deke Clark explain it in this audio clip, then write a short paragraph describing how the plane aids the cranes in their flying. Start your paragraph with a clear topic sentence that tells what your paragraph is about. Include only sentences that support the topic sentence. Audio Clip (67 seconds) : Pilot Deke Clark Tells How the Trike Helps the Cranes in Flight NOTE: Click here for questions to guide your listening of this audio clip. Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP). Copyright 2002-2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form