Fare-thee-well
My own true love
Farewell for awhile
I'm goin'away
But I'll be back
Though I go 10,000 miles
Ten thousand miles
My own true love
Ten thousand miles or more
The rocks may melt
And the seas may burn
If I should not return
Oh, don't you see
That lonesome dove
Amy...
it's Dad.
Dad?
Why are you here?
I came down from Canada.
I've come to take you home.
What do you mean?
- I mean... - Where's Mum?
Tell me.
Mum died, didn't she?
There was a foot of snow here when I left.
I apologize for the mess. I haven't had a...
I haven't had a chance to clean up.
Been really busy with this, that and the other thing.
I haven't done any work, to speak of, on the house in nine years.
It's gonna be really nice once it's all finished.
I'll get the trunk.
The bed looks nice.
I ran out of storage space in the workshop.
I'll get this junk cleared out first thing in the morning...
- make it just like you remember it. - I don't.
You don't what?
Remember it.
I'm really tired.
Good night.
You didn't think I could fly, did you? What'd you think?
I wouldn't brag about it.
That's actually a pretty good landing for me.
He's headed to a museum in Montreal.
A goatee or clean shaven?
Give him a beard, then he'll look like you.
I'm gonna be real busy. I'm behind.
I gotta deliver him.
I'll be in the shop a lot.
I'm not a baby. You don't have to hold my hand.
- What's that? - I won an award for that.
From the Canadian Society of Inventors. Not bad, eh?
- What is it? - It's a refrigerator.
Very original.
Moo goo gai in a pan. It's easy to make.
Says so right here.
You like peanut butter?
- It has a real peanutty taste. - I'm not eating that.
The peanut butter makes it good.
There's an oil thing that happens.
Why is there a spaceship in the barn?
That's the lunar lander.
Remember when I built that?
It was the winter you and your mom...
You and your mom left.
She thought I was crazy for doing it.
I was too. I had no money. I had a busted ankle.
Colder than hell.
But I just couldn't...
- get over that whole moon trip. - Why did you build it?
The lunar lander? Think about it. It's up there right now.
They left the original one there. It's parked.
We needed another one. So I made an exact replica.
Every home should have one.
I've been offered a lot of money for that.
You must be Amy. I've heard a lot about you.
How you doing? This is Susan. She's a friend of mine.
This is for you.
It's a welcome gift. Welcome.
Do you live here too?
Yes, I do.
Sometimes I do.
Excuse me.
What's cooking?
That went well.
Clearing the corner of her room, fixing the bed, the flowers...
- Everything is just great. - No problem.
We were really beat when we got back.
She's different than I thought she'd be.
More complicated.
She used to travel all over on tour with her mother.
Singing in a club in Tokyo, and a week later...
making a recording in London.
They were on the move a lot.
Get outta there!
What do ya think you're doing?
You don't have a permit! We haven't had the meeting yet!
We haven't voted! You're totally illegal!
I'll sue your ass!
I'm sorry about that, but these people...
They've been trying to build this development...
and we've been fighting them because it's gonna ruin the community.
I don't care.
I just wanted to explain it to you...
that's all.
I don't care about any of it. And I'm not going to school anymore.
I'd rather die than go back there.
Why did all this have to happen?
- Stop it! - Who are you?
They were coming at me through the frozen food section.
It was just truly awful. Their lips were so blue.
You gotta be Amy.
I gave you Silly Putty for Christmas once. You ate it.
You remember, Tom?
She took a bite out of a slipper once. Swallowed it.
Who's he? What's he doing here?
He's your uncle. He's here to help me catch up.
Tom brings me here to be his beast of burden.
I lug iron for Michelangelo.
That's the bus. Books, shoes, hat, bag.
- Where's your bag? - You don't listen to me.
Take the bag. Homework!
- I've got... - We're coming!
- Go. - Wait a minute. I've got to...
You're going to school. You belong in school every day.
- Go! - Dad.
Today I want to move on to another important figure.
Sir Alan Napier McNab.
Sir Alan was elected to the Upper Canada...
Legislative Assembly in 1830.
He was its speaker from 1837 to 1840...
while the Tories were in the majority.
And he was the prime minister of the United Colony...
from 1854 until 1856.
How'd it go today?
- Quite awful. - Sorry to hear that.
It'll be better tomorrow.
Susan and I are going to a meeting.
Uncle Dave will stay, get you dinner, help with your homework.
Math tonight, right? We'll be home by 10:00.
- Don't worry about anything. - In bed by 8:30.
Decimals? Fractions?
Math can be really fun.
Call him on that!
By destroying the marsh, they've accomplished their objective.
There's nothing left to save.
It's a done deal.
And it's an outrage.
There are laws against this, and I want to know who amongst you...
is going to enforce them?
The Chair recognizes Sam Tufts.
Sir, I'm proud to be one of the "they" you speak of.
I don't have the luxury of an outside income. I'm a farmer.
My land is part of the package because I can't make a living off it anymore.
If I don't sell, how can I send my kids to college?
The Chair recognizes Glen Seiferts.
I'd just like to say that it's not this project that worries me...
as much as the projects that will follow in its wake.
I don't believe there are many among you that really want this to happen.
I wish you would consider the fields and streams your children play in...
the clean air, the clean water and the general peace of mind...
and the animals we share this land with.
They're all on the brink of disappearing forever if this permit is passed.
Think about it.
- What are we supposed to do now? - It's over.
- They decided in five minutes. - You tried.
I've got enough to deal with! I've got enough...
How are ya doin'?
What time she go to sleep?
I don't even remember falling asleep.
Now I know why she was going to the marsh.
- Is it okay for her to sleep here? - She'll be okay.
Can I keep them? Please?
Hi, guys.
Good morning.
You've got to feed them every two hours.
And they need a lot of attention.
I think what they need is to learn where to poop.
Come on. They're just babies.
I don't... They can't stay in the house.
If you put them outside, owls and cats will get them, and they'll die!
- There's your bus. - Are you sure you can handle this?
Yes, I'm sure. Go to school.
Go, now!
- They're delaying construction a year. - Who knows? I don't believe it.
My daughter found some goose eggs down in all that mess.
I think they wiped out some birds when they went through there.
Anyway, they hatched.
Now I've got fuzzballs running around my house.
- I don't know how to take care of them. - Wild geese.
That was one of the last nesting places for them in the area.
- You just inherited big problems. - Great.
See, geese learn everything from their parents.
Everything from what to eat, how to fly, when to migrate, where to migrate.
- When do they migrate? - Late fall.
But without the parental influence, your geese will get the urge to fly...
they'll take off and not know where they're going.
- How do I take care of them? - A little grass and grain for now.
I'll stop by in the next couple of days, see what you got, see if I can help.
- That'd be great. - Good.
Come here, guys. Hey, goose.
Hey, you.
Come on, geese.
- How old is she? - Thirteen.
- They grow up pretty quick. - I wouldn't know.
Isn't it amazing how they follow her around like that?
It's called imprinting.
The first living thing a goose sees when it's born...
it automatically assumes is its mother.
- Come on. - They'll follow her anywhere.
Try it on.
It's important to note that geese are tough birds.
They've been displaced over the years. I'm amazed they're not extinct.
But they've learned to adapt.
Where do they go?
That's the problem. I get calls all the time.
They land on people's front lawns, the golf course.
That's why we have Ordinance 9314.
- I'm sorry. Ordinance what? - Ordinance 9314.
All domestically raised geese have to be rendered flightless.
It's better known as pinioning.
It's actually quite a simple procedure.
It's actually quite painless.
- What do we have here? Come here. - Excuse me.
- Sir, please leave him alone. - Your name's Amy, isn't it?
Amy, these geese belong to the Crown.
- What crown? - That's the queen of England.
- "Pinioning"? - She made rules we all have to follow.
It's for the good of the goose. It's for the good of the people.
You take the wing and shave a bit off the cuticle...
What are you doing? Stop it!
What the hell are you doing?
- Watch out! - What are you doing?
What the hell do you think you're doing?
What is wrong with you? I'm trying to help.
What happens when your birds start to fly, start to migrate?
They'll end up zapped in power lines or dead on the highway!
- Get off my land! - Listen to me!
Your birds could be carrying parasites and disease.
- If they infect... - Stay off of my place!
Your birds will get clipped no matter what.
If your birds fly, I'll have to confiscate them!
I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to do that.
Sweetie, I promise I won't let anybody hurt them.
Open the door.
She's your daughter. You figure it out. Do not put me in the middle.
Look, I've tried everything.
I've been nice to her. I've been tough on her.
Nothing's worked.
I think the bottom line is...
that she just doesn't want to be here.
And I'm no better father now...
than I was when she was three.
- At least you're here. - I'm here.
It's okay.
- Thomas! - Barry!
- How you doin'? - Good.
- I got those battens for you. - Good.
- Thank you very much. - You've been missing some good flying.
I got this straight-up elevator off a cliff burble.
I must've been going up 2,000 feet a minute.
- No kidding. - That's not possible.
- Where is this place? - Fifty-two miles. Let's go.
- I got my bird in the truck. - I can't. I got a bit of a crisis here.
- You want some coffee? - Sure.
Good.
Get out!
- It's the compressor. I just... - Get out!
Here. It's the compressor.
Out! Get out!
- You're right. - He's so weird!
- He is. - I miss my friends and my room.
- Who was that guy? - He's just a guy. He didn't see you.
- He did too! - He didn't.
He did.
Why did he bring that other guy here to chop their wings off?
Your father didn't know he was gonna do that.
He did too, and he's coming back!
- He said he was! - He's not. Listen to me.
I know I can never replace your mother, nobody can.
But if you let me, I can be your friend.
The first rule of friends is being able to trust each other.
I promise you, nothing is going to happen to those geese.
I won't let it, and neither will your dad.
That's a promise.
Come here.
- See that tack of weld right there? - I see your finger.
- It's dark. - Behind the finger.
- The little tack of weld. - I got it.
How fast do they fly again?
- Thirty-one miles an hour. - God, there's no way.
- It's slow. - Makes for a really slow airplane.
But they're aerodynamically almost perfect.
What's that principle? What's the name of the guy?
Bernoulli.
If it's a wing, the curve...
The airflow moves faster over the top because it has further to go.
Less pressure on top, ergo lift.
Ergo flight.
Ergo what?
- Have you turned the gas on? - The gas is... Now it's on.
- Turn it off. - Make up your mind. Ready?
Turn it off until the engine starts, then turn the gas on.
- Go ahead. - I don't want to flood it.
This is a kill switch. Clamp this in your teeth.
Then if you crash, your jaw relaxes, and you don't get cut up too bad.
All right. Fire it up, boys!
- Everybody clear? - All clear.
We need a bigger engine.
Wake up.
Hey, guys.
Hey, guys, come on! Hey, geese!
Come, geese.
Come on, geese!
Hey, goose!
Come on.
With this baby, you could fly the Empire State Building.
Or end up as a big pile of ground round.
There's only one way to find out. Clear prop.
Good luck. Prop clear.
Come on!
God! Come on.
Oh, my, what a ride!
My feet can't take this anymore.
- You see that one right there? - This one?
That one's Fluffy. And that one's Featherbrain.
And that one's Grubby. He likes mud.
- What's that little guy's name? - This one?
I haven't thought of a name for him yet.
He was born with a bit of a limp, so I was thinking of calling him Gimpy.
That's pretty good.
It might give him a complex though.
You might want to think of something more strong.
John. Or Thor.
Mac or something like that. I got it.
Igor. Like in Dr. Frankenstein.
You know, "Master, follow me."
That's good. I like it. Igor.
"It's alive!"
I had this idea about the geese.
I've been watching the way they've been following you around...
even when you're on your four-wheeler...
It occurred to me...
that they might follow my airplane too.
No way.
They're gonna try to fly away, eventually.
That's what they do. They're migratory.
They go south in the winter like their ancestors have been doing...
- for thousands of years. - So?
We can keep them in the barn.
Sure, we could. It's kind of like jail.
We could also clip their wings. It doesn't matter.
Still, they'll want to go south where it's warmer and there's plenty to eat.
I could show them the way by flying with them in my plane.
My geese are not having anything to do with your crazy ideas.
She's right, Thomas. This one is way out there.
But this could work.
According to the books... I've been doing a lot of reading...
they learn the landscape on the way down by following their parents.
And then, in the following spring, they come back by the same route...
the same exact route, to the same place...
which is right out there on the front porch.
Our problem is that your birds don't have anybody to show them the way.
So they're gonna take off, and they're gonna get lost...
or shot by hunters or worse.
They won't follow you.
But they might if you help me.
Believe me, this could work.
I promise you, it'll be okay.
I promise.
Come on.
Come on, guys!
Come on, geese!
Go on!
I'll race you!
Come on! Go!
Goose, goose, goose!
That was close. They'll get it.
Okay, guys, come on!
Get up!
It just seemed so perfect.
I'm used to my ideas not workin' out at first, but...
But she's not used to it.
You got her all excited about this.
Now she feels like you've let her down, again.
Broken promises are the worst. It's better not to promise anything.
I'm just having trouble figuring it out.
I didn't say I was giving up...
God, please.
Talk to me, Amy.
- Oh, God. - Hi.
Sweetie, are you hurt?
I don't think so.
You're crying.
I thought you were...
Suppose I built another aircraft...
and then taught Amy how to fly it?
- What? - The birds will fly with her.
She'll fly with me. I could lead them all south.
You're joking, right?
- She nearly broke her neck yesterday. - I know.
- This is a joke, right? - No, it's not. It's a great idea.
We can make it work. The birds follow me, I follow you.
We all go south. It's brilliant.
I knew you could think of something.
It is the most stupid, irresponsible, harebrained scheme I have ever heard!
It's the only way they'll fly with her. That's the way it works.
What is wrong with you?
- I thought you liked the geese. - I do like the geese!
It's more dangerous for her to get in my truck and go down the expressway.
In my humble opinion, this is the safest ultra light out there.
- It's got to be as safe as possible. - But it's pricey.
I don't care. It's got to be simple to fly and gentle when you put it down.
- It'll fly at 28, 29 miles an hour. - Really?
It'll even climb at that.
There you go, fellows. Enjoy it. Thank you very much.
Take it easy.
Turn to the right. Lean to the right. Push the bar to the left.
That's it.
Remember, you got 34 feet of wingtip up here.
It's kind of like having real wide hips.
Let's make a hard right. Good leans.
Just like you're flying. Keep the bar pushed down.
Bar pushed down. Really bring it around.
You got it. I'm not doing anything. It's all you, Amy.
Beautiful. Good leaning.
Now we'll go hard to the right. Lean to the right.
Now we swing to the left. Lean it.
There you go. Beautiful.
Here we go. Nice and straight. Bar centered.
Nice and easy. Eyes straight ahead.
Hands on the bar. Hold onto the bar, Amy.
Smooth push out on the bar, and up we go.
That a girl! You're doin' it!
Keep the bar right about there.
You got it.
Been around a lot of flyers in my time.
I think you're a natural.
- You really think so? - Some people are. I think you're one.
The wind is coming from straight at us.
So it's gonna go right under the plane. It's gonna be perfect.
Plane's gonna be a lot lighter because I'm not in it.
- I know, Dad. - Your takeoff roll will be shorter.
You'll get up faster. You'll climb real fast.
- But still just push out with the bar. - Sure.
I'm comin' up right behind you, so just make passes around the field.
That way, if your engine cuts out, you can glide here onto the field.
- Don't go anywhere else. - I know.
You're gonna do good.
- Clear prop. - Clear.
Mama Goose, they've flown the coop.
Mama Goose, can you read me? They've flown the coop.
Mama Goose? Come in, Mama Goose.
Can you hear me?
Amy, they've flown out.
Come in, Mama Goose!
Amy, can you hear me?
Mama Goose, is your radio working?
- Tom, do you read me? - Yeah, Barry.
Her radio's out.
I don't believe it. It works.
Mama Goose?
Come in, Mama Goose.
Maybe the jack's no good.
I'll move up and give her a visual.
Hello, Papa Goose! This is so cool!
Hello?
Dad? Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Who's that on your right shoulder?
Long John.
Dad, look! They're really flying with me.
So they're flying now.
- What do you want? - Just came to say hi to your father.
He's out. He told you to stay off our property.
- Where does he keep the airplanes? - What airplanes?
I know he's planning something crazy.
- Who's the new guy at the house? - That's my Uncle David.
He's got a black belt. We call him "Killer."
I'll see you again.
You can count on it.
Hey, that... Wait a minute.
That's funny. Just go... And don't play.
Ready on three, and spit. Go!
You have to take it seriously. This is very important.
I just think that we need to have very clear notions...
of when we'll fly in the day, when we'll land...
how long you'll lay over, and then where you'll end up.
- That's the most important thing. - Do me a favor.
Get me some maps of...
Just do this. Here's us. Here's Florida.
- I'll look at the maps. - I'll make a call.
Because I know this guy...
a bird guy, in North Carolina.
You're kidding.
He knows migratory paths. We called him "Birdbrain."
But this idea of using airplanes...
to reintroduce migratory flocks, it's...
Look, I'm sorry. It's absolute nonsense.
Can you imagine thousands of little tiny airplanes...
buzzing suburbia at 4:00 in the morning...
showing the birds the way south?
The birds wouldn't really follow an airplane anyway.
But they do. I've seen them do it.
It really works if it's done right.
If geese can do this, then maybe really rare birds...
like whooping cranes and trumpeter swans can learn it too.
We can start new flocks and give them a crack at a comeback.
Do you really think you can pull this off?
Yes, sir. All we really needed was a place like this.
But, of course, there is a catch. It's right over there.
These 300 acres are all that's left of what used to be thousands.
In the 1930s, the government set this aside as a wild bird refuge...
but with fewer birds wintering here, of course, it's been encroached on.
Some people have made quite a lot of money.
If no wild birds show up by November 1...
these chaps are just itching to take over.
November 1? Really?
So if we're here by then, it's ours?
Not actually yours.
- The birds. - Right.
It's perfect.
I hope you're right.
I don't want to find out I'm in trouble when I'm airborne.
The spot that we found is just perfect.
- But we don't have that long. - Can you land there?
- Perfectly. Good, flat surface. - That's important.
- Stop moving back. I'm pushing. - I felt that.
Squeeze it down a little bit. Not so it hurts.
It'll move back and forth.
Let's see how it looks. Get your finger out of your nose.
Nice move, Thomas. Very good move.
The journey will take four days of good weather.
Thirty nautical miles to Lake Ontario.
Then 30 more across the lake to the United States of America.
Sixty-five miles further on is rendezvous number one...
at a farm just outside of Franklinville, New York.
On day two, we're going to Pennsylvania and across the Appalachian Mountains...
120 miles to rendezvous number two.
On day three, we fly over Maryland just east of Baltimore...
and then south across the Potomac to the lowlands of Virginia.
On day four, we go to a little town of New Hope.
From there, it's just ten more miles to Valhalla.
- How are they doing? - They're panting hard after 20 miles.
I don't think they can go 150 miles a day.
They've got it in them somewhere. The wild ones go 1,000 miles at a shot.
- They're thinner afterwards, but... - We have to go earlier than that.
Two days weather cushion won't be enough.
- I say we leave here the 22nd. - Good idea.
Barry and I will get the camping equipment Wednesday.
And we got a lead on a boat.
The G.P.S. And radios are due tomorrow.
October 22.
We've only got one week left to whip them into shape.
We've got to push them to the limit.
The wild ones average five, six flight hours a day.
That means we've got to get ours up to four.
Then I think we'll be all right. You've got to be the leader.
You have to be tough.
We can't let up. The wild ones are already heading south.
- Mama Goose, come in. - Hello, Barry!
- You've got one unhappy bird down here. - Igor!
Goose Ground, put your radio next to him.
Mama Goose, go ahead. We're ready.
Stop fooling around. We're leaving by the end of the week.
Come on!
You can do it, Igor. Come on!
Mama Goose, we have a liftoff.
I don't see him.
Dad, do you see him?
I don't see him.
I lost him behind the house. I don't know where he went.
Wait, I see him! Amy, watch out!
Here he comes on your right wing.
I hit him!
Dad, I hit Igor! He's down!
Listen to me. Look behind you.
You gotta take care of the others. Turn around and head home now.
Roger. Turning east.
Come on.
- Goose, goose, goose. - Igor? Hey, goose, goose, goose.
- I don't know if we'll find Igor. - We'll find him tonight! We have to.
Come on.
Damn!
- You hear that? - See him?
Goose, goose, goo... I don't believe it.
He's lost some primary feathers, but they'll grow back. Let's go.
- Are you sure? - He won't be able to fly.
Dad, he's got to go with his brothers and sisters.
- Careful. - Take it easy.
Let's just get him home. We'll think of something.
Daddy!
Looks clear.
- I gotta go. See you guys. - Where are you going?
Bye.
- Goose Mobile, phase one complete. - Roger, Papa Goose.
I'll take care of everything. Have fun with the kids.
- The buzzard is out of the nest. - Good.
We're into phase two in five minutes.
Animal management is everyone's business.
We all have a responsibility to protect nature...
and to look after the well-being of the creatures that live in it...
just like we take care of our pets at home.
- Does anybody have a pet at home? - I have a snake.
- Nice office you have here. - Can I help you?
I hope so. My brother and I were camping.
The weirdest little critter came into our tent.
Just waltzed in. Nasty little sucker.
I have no idea what it might be.
I was wondering if you would take a look at it.
You brought it back, alive?
Out in the truck.
- Phase three in two minutes. - Hunky-dory.
It's right out here. Really appreciate it.
We were up near Napanee. Did you bring gloves?
- God! - Where is it?
It must have gotten out. Do you have kids around here?
What did it look like?
Big cocker spaniel, only he had a... Almost bald.
- Bald? - Spiky fur just around the neck.
You go this way. I'll go this way. We'll meet back here.
- Okay, be careful. - You be careful!
Be very careful. It's very temperamental.
Very big!
Come on, guys!
Get up!
Thanks, Goose Ground. Final phase one minute away.
Our own area is blessed with a rich cornucopia of wildlife.
- Beaver, bear, badgers... - Check it out!
Gray foxes and beetles.
- Not the old rock group, but... - I think it's Amy. It's Amy!
- Mama to Papa. That was so cool! - Great.
I just made a criminal out of my own daughter.
Now we'll both do time behind bars.
Dad, stop being so dramatic.
This is just the beginning.
We've got to make 120 nautical miles by sundown, fly across Lake Ontario...
cross an international boundary without a permit, carrying stolen goods...
without filing a flight plan, without any official approval...
four days behind schedule.
We're on the edge, my dear.
All right, let's start a slow climb.
I want plenty of altitude over the lake.
Roger.
Father Goose to Wet Goose. How do you read?
Loud and clear, Father Goose. How are you doing?
The head wind's picking up. What's our ground speed?
Down to 21 knots. How's your fuel?
Two hours at best. We're already past the point of no return.
It's gonna be landfall around dark.
- Sir, you better take a look at this. - What have you got?
No idea. Very unorthodox signature.
That's a U.F.O.
Papa Goose, there are some tired birds back here.
Landfall in about five minutes.
Sir, it's still heading straight at us.
- Any contact? - Negative, sir.
- We gotta go. Give me red alert. - Going red.
Papa Goose to Wet Goose. We won't make it to rendezvous one.
- Roger, Father Goose. - We're on fumes. We gotta put down.
We'll tie up and wait till we hear from you.
I think we just lucked out.
I got a visual on what appears to be an airfield.
Stay tight on me. We're going down.
Let's do this, gentlemen. Scramble two.
Code one.
- 63 Romeo, position and hold. - Roger.
- Ready for formation takeoff. - Hold your position.
Unidentified traffic at a quarter mile on short final.
You mean he's landing here?
Tower, this is 43 Tango. Have the bogies in sight.
Guys, this is really strange. Suggest you call Security.
Great. The rudder's coming loose again.
What's that? Dad?
What is it?
- Freeze! Get down on the ground! - What are you doing?
Let's go.
Face down, lady!
- Stay down, Amy. - What's going on?
No gifts, no produce, no flowers, no Cuban cigars.
That's a lot of stuff for one guy to go camping with.
I'm a serious camper.
- What's the cage for? - I'm a paranoid camper. I sleep in it.
Keeps all the little furries out. Doesn't do much for the big furries.
But all they're gonna do is look at me and drool anyway, so...
What's all the gasoline for?
That's for my portable generator for my VCR and my blender.
Nothing like a scary movie and a pina colada in the wilderness.
- That's what I always say. - Open the back.
Sir, it was an absolute emergency.
We had no idea this was an Air Force base.
- Stop playing with those birds! - Yes, sir!
- It was land here or in Lake Ontario. - We're really sorry.
You put this entire military base on full alert.
You caused me and my staff a mountain of paperwork...
not to mention setting two of my pilots back emotionally about 20 years!
And you're "really sorry"?
We promise we'll never do it again.
Just as long as you promise.
Come on.
- A little closer together. - Smile. This is for the morning paper.
This is big stuff.
Gentlemen, let's show them what we found. Get in here.
- Thank you. That's it. - You got it?
Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
Ed Nichols was at Niagara Air Force Base this morning and shot this.
It seems an unlikely pair sneaked into the high security base last night...
with a flock of birds.
Real birds.
The flapping kind.
Ten-hut!
Have you heard about this kid and her birds?
Fourteen-year-old Amy Alden and 15 Canada geese.
She's leading them south in this really big goose.
This is real.
They departed from Niagara Air Base at 5:00 a.m.
Commanding General Olin Hatfield says he has never seen...
such an inspirational sight.
- All present and accounted for? - Roger. And listen to this.
She's got pet geese or ducks or canaries or whatever.
She's leading them south.
In other news, a 14-year-old from southern Ontario...
is on a mission over New York state this month.
The birds have names like Igor, Stinky, Long John and Featherbrain.
It's incredible to me that anyone would shoot and eat these birds.
I like them with an orange sauce and stuffed with wild rice.
Flat on their back and golden brown.
- How much further? - Ten more miles. Not far.
Dad, look at that.
Where are they going?
Long John, come back!
It's the wild ones. They're going with them.
We've got to follow them or we'll lose them.
Where do you think you're going?
They're shooting.
Watch out! Let me head them off!
I'm gonna try and get in front of them.
Here they come.
- Whoa! - Holy shit!
They're down.
Set up on a short final to that field at your 11:00.
You people don't give up.
Now you're poaching off airplanes.
- I ought to blow a hole in your liver. - Ma'am, listen.
- We... - Wait a minute.
Isn't she the little girl I've seen on television?
For folks who think the news is always bad...
have you heard about Amy and Thomas Alden...
- flying with the birds? - Larry, no more bird jokes.
They are leading an orphan flock of Canadian honkers south...
on an unprecedented 500-mile odyssey.
It's about 20 miles out.
At my age, I'm pretty hard to impress.
First thing in the morning, if we can separate them from their wild cousins.
I saw something out of a dream.
I want to know something.
What happened between you and Mom?
What did she tell you?
She said you were both artists...
and that was difficult to begin with...
because artists can be selfish sometimes.
Well, that's true.
She said you were both to blame.
We couldn't have been all wrong. We got you.
But you hardly ever came to see me.
New Zealand's pretty far away, Amy.
That's a really lame excuse, Dad.
It took me a long time to admit letting both of you go was a mistake.
For awhile I just buried myself in my work.
I was afraid, Amy. I was afraid, angry.
Mostly at myself.
I'm really sorry.
Goose, goose, goose!
Come on, geese!
Come on, guys!
- We have to get to Highway 95. - Highway 37.
We have to end up on 95 to get down to the coast.
It should allow good flying for the Aldens...
with the possible exception of fog in the upper Chesapeake area.
Their final destination is a sleepy, coastal community...
that's coming alive in expectation of their arrival tomorrow evening.
Richard Cartwright from Biblical, Maryland...
how many geese are following Amy south?
In honor of Amy and her geese, here's "Birds Of Your Feather."
I had me a damn turkey once that wouldn't follow me anywhere.
Goose Ground, we're in the soup.
My high-tech navigational equipment isn't working.
- Could be batteries. - Dad, how could you forget batteries?
I don't know, but my guess is we're still west of Baltimore.
- Sounds about right. - We'll land if we find a place.
What's that sign say?
Roger, Papa Goose. Over and out.
Dad, watch out!
Amy, stay on the main street! Just stay on the main street!
- Charley, look at that! - That must be the goose kid!
My God.
It happened just after 2:00.
If anybody is still into a two-martini lunch in Baltimore...
they may swear off for good after this.
The plot is also thickening down south. Diane Brawley reports.
What we have here is an increasingly nasty confrontation...
between a coalition of greenies, bird watchers and tree huggers...
against economic progress.
This is the realization of a lifelong dream for me.
- Let me remind you that... - Men and machinery are committed.
I can't walk away from it all for a bunch of ducks.
- Geese. - Whatever.
Papa to Mobile. Our estimated time of arrival: One hour before sundown.
We got enough fuel, so why don't you go on ahead and set up for our arrival.
Roger. We'll see you at Valhalla.
- This is Goose Ground signing off. - Thanks.
Dad, what's wrong?
Uncle David, this is Mama Goose. Come in!
- We got time to eat? - 17 North.
Find a place to get some real food.
Daddy? Dad?
- Damn. - Are you okay?
What are we gonna do now?
How are we gonna get there by sundown?
I think I've dislocated my shoulder.
You'll have to take them the rest of the way.
- Can't we both go in my plane? - I can't ride with you.
There isn't enough fuel for both of us. We'd be too slow.
We wouldn't make it on time. It's the only way.
It's only 30 miles. It's an hour away.
- You can do it. - I can't find my way without you.
Yes, you can.
Because you're so much like your mother.
She was brave. She went off, followed her dream.
Nobody helped her. You've got that strength in you too.
I wish she was here now.
She is. She's right next to you.
She's in the geese.
She's in the sky. She's all around you.
And she won't let you down.
I can't leave you here. You're hurt.
Yes, you can. I want you to go.
You take that plane. You take those geese.
And you fly away.
- Bye, Dad. - Go.
Follow the river until you reach the town of New Hope.
Then turn southwest and follow the coast for ten miles.
Look for a lot of cars and people.
Bye, Dad!
Go, Amy.
We're gonna start this before sunset.
Start it up. Turn it over. We're gonna start.
Larry, on the surface it seems so simple and harmless and even clean.
But it's gotten terribly complicated in the saga of Amy and her birds.
Colin Beardsley reports.
So far, no trace of Amy, Thomas or the geese. They've disappeared.
- Can I hitch a ride with you? - Sure. Join the party.
- Isn't that the little girl? - It's the geese girl!
Over there!
Zoning ordinance number 3185-7...
is now in effect!
This is private property! Please, remove yourselves!
Everybody!
Please! My daughter is up there by herself.
If you would be quiet, we might be able to hear her.
Would you please just listen to me?
Shut that thing off!
She's coming!
I don't believe this.
Oh, come ye back
My own true love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
On this Earth
You've been a friend to me