Sometimes flying can be mundane. Then there are other times you have an eagle sitting in a passenger’s seat going to Santa Barbara with you. I was careful to use the word, “going” and not “flying”. Yessiree. Lincoln, the American Bald Eagle, left the flying to us.
It’s not everyday you have an eagle as a passenger. Although, my Skytress friend, Cindy, told me she had an eagle as a passenger on her flight in 2001. The eagle was heading to New York for the World Series between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks. However, having Lincoln in a passenger seat was a first for me. Heck. It was the first time for everyone on my crew. We couldn’t contain our excitement. Yessiree. Somehow we had appeased the scheduling gods and they took great favor with us. I’ll never forget the expressions on my crew’s faces when I told them the handlers were going to take Lincoln out of his carrier after the flight so we could get photos with him. Everyone was beyond giddy. Thank you scheduling gods! More importantly, thank you Lincoln’s crew!
When I heard we were going to have an eagle on board our airplane, I assumed the eagle would go in the cargo bin of the aircraft. I cannot express my shock and wee bit of confusion when I learned the eagle was going to be in the cabin with us. I still couldn’t fathom it when I saw Lincoln’s carrier. It was huge! It took two handlers to bring Lincoln and his carrier on the aircraft. It took two Comfort Plus seats to accommodate the carrier. It took three seatbelt extensions to strap the carrier in the seats. Not surprisingly, it only took a half second for me to know this was going to be a flight to write about.
I knew everyone on the airplane had questions about the eagle. Especially, me. So, I inquired on behalf of everyone. I quickly learned Lincoln was the eagle’s name. He was traveling with his handlers from the American Eagle Foundation. They are based out of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. They all were traveling to Santa Barbara for an event the next day. Lincoln’s parents were eagles at the sanctuary. Although Lincoln was born at the sanctuary, he was to be released to live in the wild. Unfortunately, Lincoln started to rely on humans for food when he was living in the wild. Sadly, Lincoln began to starve. Fortunately, Lincoln was found and brought back to health. He was eventually returned to the American Eagle Foundation. It was ultimately determined Lincoln could never be an eagle in the wild. Instead, he would travel with the amazing people at the American Eagle Foundation educating the world about eagles. Oh, he would also soar around the Lincoln Financial Stadium during the National Anthem at the Philadelphia Eagles home games. Yes. There is that, too. And Yes. Lincoln was named after the stadium.
I learned another eagle, Challenger, used to do the stadium fly overs at the Philadelphia Eagles games. Challenger was actually the first bald eagle in history trained to do stadium fly overs. Challenger retired a few years ago. I learned from Lincoln’s handlers that all eagles have their own personalities. Challenger didn’t like the wires stadiums now have positioned over the football fields for overhead camera views. Challenger, also, got cataracts. Thus, his vision was impacted when conducting fly overs. When Challenger retired, Lincoln’s career took flight. Fortunately Challenger, along with over 40 birds at the sanctuary, is still an education ambassador.
Lincoln always travels with four amazing humans. The team rotates who travels with him. He has a release person. He has a person to measure the wind speed. He has a person to catch him when he lands. He has a person to keep an eye on him at all times when he is flying. Just like us humans, Lincoln has his favorites. This fact made me smile. As you can imagine, it’s not easy traveling with an eagle. The team was extremely gracious. I found their jobs and Lincoln to be very fascinating. I’ll admit. Curiosity got the best of me. I asked a lot of questions. I even apologize to them for this fact. Thankfully, they all responded they loved to answer questions. It how they educate everyone. I know I definitely learned a lot!
Lincoln did squawk when he first came on the plane. It was the ultimate icebreaker for the passengers seated around him. The Santa Barbara passengers relished the fact they were traveling with Lincoln in the cabin. Everyone laughed each time Lincoln squawked. Many passengers took pictures with Lincoln’s carrier. I could only imagine the stories they would tell their families and friends about our flight. However, once Lincoln was settled in, he slept the entire flight. His carrier is dark and cool. It’s the ultimate sleeping conditions if you’re an eagle. It’s not the ultimate sleeping conditions if he is staying in a hotel room. No siree. Lincoln stays in a hotel room with his handler. I discovered his handlers move the furniture around in the hotel room to accommodate Lincoln and the perch he sleeps on. They always place a blanket under his perch. I was told they feed Lincoln dried rodents and fish. I’m sure Lincoln would love our Biscoff cookies even more. But, then again, I have never had dried rodents. So, I am just surmising.
If you are wondering, I have been flying longer than Lincoln. Lincoln is 27 years old. Most eagles can live to be 50. Thus, Lincoln will eventually fly longer than me. Of course, we will rival each other for the best flying stories.
I discovered Lincoln, as well as other eagles, get their white head feathers when they turn five years old. This is also when their beak and eyes turn yellow. Lincoln’s wing span is 8 feet long. His wings are much longer than mine. My Skytress uniform wings are 3 inches long. The Airbus 220 wing span is 115 feet 1 inch. Sorry Lincoln. Facts are facts.
Sometimes when we land in Santa Barbara we get an actual gate with a jetway. Most times, however, we park remotely from the airport. When this happens a portable ramp is brought to the aircraft for deplaning. This was the case when we arrived in Santa Barbara. Lincoln’s handlers placed his carrier on the wheel base and rolled him ever so gingerly down the ramp. The crew followed closely behind. We were eagerly awaiting for Lincoln to emerge from his carrier. We were told to stand a few feet back from the carrier. We did just as we were told. No one wanted to mess up our introduction to Lincoln. We could hear Lincoln squawking as the handlers unlocked his carrier. His squeals sounded like a seagull. Lincoln slowly emerged from his carrier. Then he flapped his majestic wings. I was gobsmasked. Never in my life could I have imagined standing on the tarmac with my crew watching an American eagle flap his wings to say hello. My heart was racing. Lincoln’s handlers happily asked for our phones so they could take pictures of the crew with Lincoln. I know we all were experiencing a very surreal moment. Then the handlers said they would take individual pictures of us with Lincoln. We couldn’t have been more excited. I stood watching each crew member and ramp agent get their photos taken with Lincoln. I was overjoyed for everyone. My phone was having a go of it trying to take pictures on the dimly lit tarmac. So I switched to video. Or so I thought. I was soaking in everyone’s moment with Lincoln looking beyond my phone. Unbeknownst to me, I forgot to push the record button! Fortunately, my mind was recording everything. I think it was even better that I wasn’t just focused on my phone. I was taking in the entire surroundings. No phone video could record the energy, excitement and gratitude surging through my body. One of the handlers causally mentioned that bald eagles are only native to North America. I smiled with pride when I heard this. How could I not with Lincoln mere feet away?
Lincoln was placed back into his carrier. Lincoln’s crew knew we were ready to get to our layover hotel. We knew they were ready to get to their hotel, too. It had been a long day for everyone. Still part of me didn’t want the evening to end. I knew the rarity of this experience. The nine of us walked with Lincoln in his carrier across the tarmac to exit the airport. We were one crew. Then as it happens with all crews…we eventually parted ways. Lincoln and his crew went to retrieve their luggage inside the airport. Our pilots climbed into their hotel shuttle. We Skytresses climbed into our hotel shuttle. Our magical evening had come to an end.
Since our flight to Santa Barbara, I’ve read up on Lincoln, the American Eagle Foundation and bald eagles in general. I learned eagles mate for life. I found this intriguing. I like this fact. In a small way I will be connected to Lincoln for the rest of my life, too. Lincoln’s handlers encouraged us to come to the American Eagle Foundation to see all the bald eagles and other non-releasable birds at the sanctuary. I hope to visit one day. I’m not sure Lincoln will remember me. But, you can bet, I will never forget Lincoln.