Free Flight

[GandalfGreybird]

I'm very interested in learning about free flight training. I realize that it's a very intensive option, bu I'd like to at least be informed on the subject. Now I may never get involved to the extent of doing timed courses. At minimum I would love to be able to keep my CAG fully flighted and hav basic training for around the house, and at most maybe harnessed flight outdoors. Honestly I'd would be ecstatic to have free flight outdoors but knowing nohing at the moment, I'm a little apprehnsive. That and by the time he'll be of age, I *should* be in living in Chicago. which actually might be better than where I live now as we have Red Tail and Chicken Hawks as well the occasional Bald Eagle on the river (though dont they focus mostly on fish?)

 

Any advice for resources. I just finished reading "The Parrot Problem Solver" by Barbara Heindenreich and I was really hoping she had a course for it. She speaks of the free flight work she's been involved in quite frequently throughout the book.

 

Any tips would be great! Again I do have time as Gandalf isn't even layer let alone hatched but as with all training, I'd prefer to lay the ground work from the beginning instead of straightening out things later.

[birdhouse]

As soon as I read free flight, I thought of Shanlung. If you haven't already, you might like to read his threads because their pretty interesting & kind of exotic.

 

He isn't around the forum as much since his work moved him. But he still stops by every so often & you might PM him.

 

Free flight outside is an awesome concept, but pretty risky. There aren't a lot of people who are willing to take that risk & have birds that can be trained sufficiently to be allowed to fly free. It's a pretty special thing. Good luck.

[GandalfGreybird]

Hi birdhouse,

 

Yeah "Tinkerbell -love of a flying CAG in Taiwan" was one of the first posts i read on here, and may have even been how i found the site. Thanks for reminding me. I'm not sure how far I'll go with free flight outside. Especially because the raptor population is so strong here in the midwest, but you never know what will happen over the course of 50 years. I'd love to be able to of course, but just depends on the birds personality, the training we accomplish, geographic location, and other risks. On the other hand it seems silly to me to have a fully capable bird have to climb down a perch and walk across the floor to come to me, or vice versa. And if i'm going to have him flighted, he needs to have training and skill. My cockatiel doesn't really know how to fly (well), he was an adoption. If it just comes down to a matter of education and training on my part, I'd rather put in the work to do all I can to enrich my future birds lives.

[Dave007]

Only the most experienced bird handlers will go that route and they'll be the first to tell a person that they shouldn't try something like that. One person can't deal with that type of training. Many birds have been lost by doing that because once outside, nature takes over and the bird reverts to it's natural instincts and flies away. That's why there's no training lessons for people who wanna try that. The closest thing a person can try are methods of flying that involve Aviator Harnesses. That type of item allows the bird to fly around but the person has complete control of where the bird is going. As the person gets much more interested in doing this and the bird gets more used to doing it, extentions can be added to this device which allows the bird to fly farther away but the owner still has complete control of where the bird is going. The bird won't get hurt because of the material the harness is made of. There's always a soft landing. And as far as Shanlung is concerned, even with his years of experience he would also tell a person to never try that. His first bird named Tinkerbell was always on a harness and as time went on, more and more length was added. He doesn't even own that bird anymore and hasn't for quite a while. He has a new bird in training.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Dave007

[GandalfGreybird]

Yeah. I'm planning on getting an Aviator. Bough my room-mates macaw one for christmas and really like it.

 

Like i said i doubt i'll ever be "free" flight. but mostly looking for flight training so i can have a responsible flighted bird in the house. skill, movement commands, etc.

 

Indoor free flight with control and structure, Outside -> aviator harness.

[shanlung]

 

 

shanlung: Chile // Riamfada free flights at the edge of Rub Al Khali

 

If you have gone on into that URL above, then you would have read my dire warnings not to do what I have done.

And you would have read the years that I aged and aged as Riamfada winged to a grey speck on the horizon and disappeared. Not once, not tiwce, but 3 times.

Luckily she came back each time as if she was playing a huge joke on me.

 

Also if you have followed my accounts, it was a series of tiny step by tiny step, with lots of observations followed by lots of deep thoughts.

 

I thought about eagles and hawks, not just taking her in. From my earlier experiences with Tinkerbell and later with Riam, I knew her flight to be swift and evasive enough to survive.

In above you can read of the fear I had that even with survival, she might be chased so far away that she might not have been able to know how return to me.

 

I anguished over that in the next writing shanlung: Reflections on Riamfada at edge of the Empty Quarter and some rants .

 

You might like to read that to see the measure that I adopted and if you take your parrot outdoors on harness, you might want to do what I have done in case Murphy comes knocking.

 

I will be much more explict.

 

FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW.

NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD.

 

I hope you do not mind my being hypocritical in doing what I warned all not to do.

 

Unless you do have kitty and your kitty go for walk with you without leash up in mountains and the sea and will come to you through tidepools in the ocean when you called them like in the case of Dommie and me.

 

 

 

shanlung: 9-11//Dommie final visit to ocean Ramadan 2010 & unsheduled Riamfada free flight//The Day Approaches

 

Accept that I am different enough from most others to do what I have done, and I urge you all not to try to duplicate because you see those photos. Just like you will not do BASE jumping from edge of building and cliff because you see others do that. Or be a fire eater because you seen photos of that being done.

 

A lot of knowledge and understanding is behind what I have done.

 

I will be more explict as in another writing shanlung: Riamfada free flights in villa // And around neighbourhood

 

I extract a portion below in italics from above that you and others might want to read.

 

Riamfada free flights in villa

 

 

more photos in flickr folder 'Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood '

Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood - a set on Flickr

 

 

Please do not do what you see me do.

 

FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW.

NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD.

 

I have been thinking. Of free flights with Riamfada. But the last few times when I thought of it, my dear wife screamed. She screamed and cried loud enough to frighten the wits out of me , or back into me , which ever way that you choose.

 

A parrot truely need not do any freeflights. Allowing him/her to fly inside your home made safe for that will give 95% of all the benefits from flying.

 

Allowing your parrot to fly in harness and leash, might add 4.9% more. But that being said, the sheer pleasure to you of taking your parrot outdoors with you and to fly cannot be imagined. If you have prepared yourself by first letting your parrot fly in semi free flight conditions (flying in big enclosed space eg gym or in big hall) , and then taking careful small steps outside in harness and short leash, that should be safe enough.

 

Long distance harnessed flights should be after you and your parrot thoroughly trained together, flying your parrot in head winds, tail winds, cross winds, shifty wind conditions, from high to low, and low to high.

 

Do not do free flights. That 0.1% benefit to your parrot is not worth the nightmare if things go wrong.

 

You know Riamfada had been on deliberate free flights.

 

Free flight is dangerous, extremely dangerous with any kind of parrot, and especially a grey.

 

Free flight might add 0.1% to the benefits of flight to your parrot. But the adrenaline rush to you is immense. That comes from living dangerously, knowing Murphy might just turn up.

 

I know with the coming departure, my mood might not be good. But I felt I could control that enough.

 

I also thought back to Riamfada flights with me. She clearly shown she could think on her wings. The videos of her turning back to my wife when she could not first find me was heartening. And of her flying and turning back to the wall , and then heading to me was heartening as well.

 

Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime

shanlung: Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime

 

Then that unscheduled free flight at the beach when that knot to that swivel joint unravelled and she did that glorious freeflight and returned to me had to be considered too.

 

Her spooking got even more controlled in the villa, just a short flight away before returning to me.

 

In the villa, Riamfada would so often fly to me uncalled, went back to her many perch to do her thing, and fly again to me. In all our walks in last couple of months, she never showed any desire to leave me. And if she decided on parroty jokes, how many more parroty jokes could she play on me. I decided I could accept her parroty jokes.

 

And she knew our neighbourhood so well now from all the neighbourhood walks we had done.

 

I decided to go on neighbourhood walks earlier today. I noticed the light faded too much by time we went out at 530pm. So today, we went out of the house at 5pm.

 

Riam was harnessed and leashed as we went around the mulberry bush.

 

Thoughts of free flight hit my mind. Hit it hard today 24 September.

 

I decided my wife screamed too much. Before she opened her mouth to scream, I premptively told her to shut up. Got her to hold the rod/reel. I then took the leash off Riamfada's harness.

 

I saw from corner of my eye my wife opened her mouth, as to scream. I told her screaming might well spook Riam, and to my satisfaction, saw her closing her mouth

[shanlung]

On 1/24/2011 at 2:35 PM, shanlung said:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4395906292_798efaf4bf_z.jpg

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4395158703_a65731f030_z.jpg

 

shanlung: Chile // Riamfada free flights at the edge of Rub Al Khali

 

If you have gone on into that URL above, then you would have read my dire warnings not to do what I have done.

And you would have read the years that I aged and aged as Riamfada winged to a grey speck on the horizon and disappeared. Not once, not tiwce, but 3 times.

Luckily she came back each time as if she was playing a huge joke on me.

 

Also if you have followed my accounts, it was a series of tiny step by tiny step, with lots of observations followed by lots of deep thoughts.

 

I thought about eagles and hawks, not just taking her in. From my earlier experiences with Tinkerbell and later with Riam, I knew her flight to be swift and evasive enough to survive.

In above you can read of the fear I had that even with survival, she might be chased so far away that she might not have been able to know how return to me.

 

I anguished over that in the next writing shanlung: Reflections on Riamfada at edge of the Empty Quarter and some rants .

 

You might like to read that to see the measure that I adopted and if you take your parrot outdoors on harness, you might want to do what I have done in case Murphy comes knocking.

 

I will be much more explict.

 

FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW.

NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD.

 

I hope you do not mind my being hypocritical in doing what I warned all not to do.

 

Unless you do have kitty and your kitty go for walk with you without leash up in mountains and the sea and will come to you through tidepools in the ocean when you called them like in the case of Dommie and me.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/4976793295_9a225abf2e_z.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/4977413420_e697618eec_z.jpg

 

shanlung: 9-11//Dommie final visit to ocean Ramadan 2010 & unsheduled Riamfada free flight//The Day Approaches

 

Accept that I am different enough from most others to do what I have done, and I urge you all not to try to duplicate because you see those photos. Just like you will not do BASE jumping from edge of building and cliff because you see others do that. Or be a fire eater because you seen photos of that being done.

 

A lot of knowledge and understanding is behind what I have done.

 

I will be more explict as in another writing shanlung: Riamfada free flights in villa // And around neighbourhood

 

I extract a portion below in italics from above that you and others might want to read.

 

Riamfada free flights in villa

 

 

more photos in flickr folder 'Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood '

Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood - a set on Flickr

 

 

Please do not do what you see me do.

 

FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW.

NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD.

 

I have been thinking. Of free flights with Riamfada. But the last few times when I thought of it, my dear wife screamed. She screamed and cried loud enough to frighten the wits out of me , or back into me , which ever way that you choose.

 

A parrot truely need not do any freeflights. Allowing him/her to fly inside your home made safe for that will give 95% of all the benefits from flying.

 

Allowing your parrot to fly in harness and leash, might add 4.9% more. But that being said, the sheer pleasure to you of taking your parrot outdoors with you and to fly cannot be imagined. If you have prepared yourself by first letting your parrot fly in semi free flight conditions (flying in big enclosed space eg gym or in big hall) , and then taking careful small steps outside in harness and short leash, that should be safe enough.

 

Long distance harnessed flights should be after you and your parrot thoroughly trained together, flying your parrot in head winds, tail winds, cross winds, shifty wind conditions, from high to low, and low to high.

 

Do not do free flights. That 0.1% benefit to your parrot is not worth the nightmare if things go wrong.

 

You know Riamfada had been on deliberate free flights.

 

Free flight is dangerous, extremely dangerous with any kind of parrot, and especially a grey.

 

Free flight might add 0.1% to the benefits of flight to your parrot. But the adrenaline rush to you is immense. That comes from living dangerously, knowing Murphy might just turn up.

 

I know with the coming departure, my mood might not be good. But I felt I could control that enough.

 

I also thought back to Riamfada flights with me. She clearly shown she could think on her wings. The videos of her turning back to my wife when she could not first find me was heartening. And of her flying and turning back to the wall , and then heading to me was heartening as well.

 

Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime

shanlung: Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime

 

Then that unscheduled free flight at the beach when that knot to that swivel joint unravelled and she did that glorious freeflight and returned to me had to be considered too.

 

Her spooking got even more controlled in the villa, just a short flight away before returning to me.

 

In the villa, Riamfada would so often fly to me uncalled, went back to her many perch to do her thing, and fly again to me. In all our walks in last couple of months, she never showed any desire to leave me. And if she decided on parroty jokes, how many more parroty jokes could she play on me. I decided I could accept her parroty jokes.

 

And she knew our neighbourhood so well now from all the neighbourhood walks we had done.

 

I decided to go on neighbourhood walks earlier today. I noticed the light faded too much by time we went out at 530pm. So today, we went out of the house at 5pm.

 

Riam was harnessed and leashed as we went around the mulberry bush.

 

Thoughts of free flight hit my mind. Hit it hard today 24 September.

 

I decided my wife screamed too much. Before she opened her mouth to scream, I premptively told her to shut up. Got her to hold the rod/reel. I then took the leash off Riamfada's harness.

 

I saw from corner of my eye my wife opened her mouth, as to scream. I told her screaming might well spook Riam, and to my satisfaction, saw her closing her mouth

Easier for me to google hunt than to dig through my livejournal , and that lead me back into this forum here here

// Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime

https://shanlung.livejournal.com/118669.html

 

I write a lot now in Facebook.

Especially as I finally accepted my friend  Charles begging me to take his grey in Sep 2019

 

That poor grey spend all her life at end of chain, at least 12 years.

For 5 years, she attacked and bite the first keeper until she was sold for a song to Charles.

Who then was attacked and biten for another five years until he begged me just to take her.  I did not want to as I knew well 

the responsiblity I got to take, and no travelling to Taiwan and other parts of the world.

Only when C19 hit us as I knew travelling days over, that I accept the grey in July this year.  And that was when I gave her the name of Vorna, the good witch 

of Rigante world and she was the first to see Riamfada running to the ancient tree.

 

Vorna bite and nailed me most painfully in her first 2 months as I fought the battle for her heart and mind.

And she decided me and my wife do not deserved the biting and nailing and became sweet to us, sweeter to my wife.

And at end of September 2020, Vorna was on my shoulder and did not chomp my ear off

https://www.facebook.com/shanlung/posts/10158787964993421

Vorna was brutally clipped in asymmetrical way and I hoping for her to molt and regain her gift of flight.

Wish us luck

 

[neoow]

Really good to hear from you Shanlung- I always enjoyed reading your adventures. Hope you are keeping well!