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MIDAIR COLLISION: Junior (gold "helmet"), flying lead, has extended his landing gear for the approach and landing. [View all]
Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2026, 12:05 PM - Edit history (3)
Junior (with the juvenile's gold "helmet" ), flying lead, has extended his landing gear for the approach and landing. Mom and dad, in the #2 and #3 wing slots, will soon follow with their gear and flaps down for a 270� overhead approach to the LZ.
Then something happens. A parent moves ahead of the "colt" on the approach to landing. Perhaps to teach the juvie a lesson.
Junior gets in the adult's wake turbulence ("dirty air" ) and loses lift. Then Junior's left leg strikes the parent's right wing feathers, causing some control problems for the adult crane. But both birds landed safely.
Even with 20,000+ flying hours, I think that I learned more from this than the colt did.
Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) - Aransas NWR - Texas Gulf Coast - February 2026
©2026 Bo Zarts Studio
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