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[OM] Aviation, falcons and photography

Subject: [OM] Aviation, falcons and photography
From: Mike <watershed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 22:38:47 -0700
Just got back from a very interesting presentation at the local library
by my neighbor and noted peregrine falcon expert. (Ken Franklin) he's
been studying them for 30 years. Over the last few years he's been
training one to follow his ultra light and to follow him while he sky
dives. (He keeps a helicopter, ultra light and a Cessna among others in
his pasture) He hooked up with a top in-flight photographer and got some
incredible shots of the falcon in it's dives at well over 150mph. The
photographer had a helmet mounted camera. The basic plan was get his
father to take them up, toss the bird out and both guys bail out right
behind. Well, a little more complicated than that.  In one jump from 18k
feet Ken reached a speed of 242mph and the falcon easily kept up! We saw
a slide show  of background information followed by the new National
Geographic video of the bird in flight. I guess the head of the Boeing
aerodynamic team and Duke U's feather expert and others were involved 
in the project so I expect the 787 to sprout feathers soon :>).  Last
summer a film crew with an IMAX  camera filmed the bird. Quite a feat
with 60lbs or more of equipment in freefall, then there's the landing.
Don't know when they'll release that footage yet. Now i know what was
going on with that "chainsaw in the sky" above my house all the time.

Mike


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