Barbara Fricke on the great adventure

Barbara Fricke, member of the Albuquerque 99s had a chance to participate in a scientific experiment, help some Canadian geese chart a new course, be featured on 20/20 and have fun ballooning all at once.

After gathering some media attention for their cross-country balloon flight from Albuquerque, NM to Columbus, OH, Barbara and her partner, Peter Cuneo were invited to pilot their gas balloon as part of an experiment.  Dr. Bill Slaten,  research scientist studying the migration of Canadian geese at Arlie Foundation in Warrenton, VA, had a theory he wanted to test.  By transporting geese raised by humans to a location south of their home, would the geese learn the migration route without actually flying it themselves?

Below is Barbara's account of the adventure:

"It was a great opportunity to use a gas balloon in what could turn out to be an environmentally sound method of teaching geese and other endangered species how to migrate.  We had fun doing it and look forward to the next adventure of these research scientists."