Leave it to bureaucrats to screw up something that's been working for years. Whooping cranes have been following a specially costumed pilot & plane to their wintering grounds since 2001. The FAA has grounded the mother plane because it's classed as a "light-sport" aircraft and no commercial applications are allowed for such aircraft, but the pilot is being paid for by conseration groups, and that requires a commercial ticket. MSNBC: 'Whooping cranes plane' runs afoul of FAA Just eat the darned birds and be done with it!!!