Naw, ya'll got it all wrong.

Feathers aren't magical - just pretty.
Well, MOST of them are.
Ostrich feathers aren't so cute though.

Which explains why they can't fly.
The Lift Fairies don't care much for ugly.
(read the NASA report more carefully!)

MY experiments show that Lift Fairies just love helium!
It's light and fluffy, and tickles their noses.

HeHeHe!

Richard