For nearly five decades, high-performance aircraft weighing as much as 80,000 pounds launched from the flight deck of the USS Midway (CV-41). When the carrier was decommissioned in 1992, its flight deck fell silent. Even when the ship opened as a museum, the flight deck was taken over by legs verses landing gear.
Although excitement on Midway is no longer accompanied by the roar of jet engines, a small but mighty museum flyer recently took flight on its hangar deck. This tiny Midway aviator, while fragile and weighing less than an ounce, immediately captured the hearts of staff and volunteers.
It was sheer luck that a baby hummingbird was found thrashing on the hangar deck floor beneath the wing of the F4U Corsair.
“I was on my way to the afternoon volunteer briefing when I noticed something tiny on the deck under the wing,” said Angie Ginn, a volunteer since 2004. “I couldn’t tell what it was but it was moving. As I looked closer, I saw a little beak and was totally amazed that it was a baby humming bird, and that it was alive.”
Angie quickly scooped up the tiny chick with a piece of paper and placed it on her clipboard. Working with a few members of the museum’s guest services team, they made a makeshift nest out of a cardboard box and some tissue paper, and set it on a table near the entrance to the information technology office. They placed the bird in the nest with the hope that its mother might return. It was wishful thinking, but they wanted to try.
“It was my hope that the mother would come back,” said Angie, who has more than 39,000 volunteer hours. “I was surprised and delighted when the mother actually returned and started to feed the baby.”
The word was quickly sent out to members of the engineering, guest services and security teams of the chick’s presence with instructions to keep a safe distance from the little bird. Angie made it a point to check up on the bird several times a day.
“I hope the bird has many memories of Midway as it sets off on its own new adventures.”
“I could see that the baby looked healthy and seemed to be getting stronger,” said Angie, who volunteers for multiple departments at the museum. “On the afternoon of the third day, after checking on the baby a few times in the morning, the cardboard nest was finally empty. The fledgling had taken flight.
While the chick was in Midway’s care for only a few days, a personal connection had quickly developed with the staff and volunteers. They decided to name the baby bird Little Pilot.
“In a way, it was hard to have the baby fly away, but I was very happy to have helped give this little bird a second chance at life,” said Angie. “I hope the bird has many memories of Midway as it sets off on its own new adventures.”
Comments are closed.