The pair got the idea from the American illusionist David Blaine who recently spent 44 days without any food inside a plastic box suspended by a crane near the River Thames in London.

BBC: Andrew Coke and Steve Roberts spent 30 hours in the cage

The chef and general manager were suspended over the river by a crane with no food, no beer and no cigarettes to keep them going.

BBC: Andrew Coke and Steve Roberts spent 30 hours in the cage

But today, only the Big Bend portion of the river can support the large crane population.

BBC: Nebraska��s awe-inspiring crane migration

As he approaches the East River, he marvels at a construction crane hoisting giant girders into the sky.

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Horrified onlookers watched as the helicopter hit the crane amid low cloud and fog near Vauxhall station, south of the river and not far from landmarks such as the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, and came plunging to the ground.

CNN: London helicopter crash prompts safety questions

As a braided river, typified by shallow, meandering channels separated by sandbars, it is an ideal crane habitat.

BBC: Nebraska��s awe-inspiring crane migration