Page 7 - Flight InSight 2014

Birds, bats, and insects regularly outperform man-made aircraft in aerobatics engineering capabilities. In particular, Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) have the
and handling of unpredictable environments. The SR71 Blackbird jet flying potential to revolutionize our sensing and information gathering capabilities,
beyond Mach 3 covers about 30 body lengths per second. But a common such as environmental monitoring of areas inaccessible to ground vehicles
pigeon flying at 50 miles per hour covers 75. The roll rate of an aerobatic plane and homeland security. In order to create the broad flight characteristics
is about 720 degrees per second, while the roll rate of a barn swallow exceeds that support take-off, forward flight of varying speed, hover, perch, threat
5,000 degrees per second. Select military aircraft can withstand gravitational avoidance, station tracking, and payload variations in MAVs, we need to better
forces of 8-10 G, yet many birds routinely experience positive G-forces greater understand the interplay between kinematics, geometry, and aerodynamics
than 10 and up to 14 G. Natural flyers obviously have some highly developed of natural flyers. The common characteristics shared by MAVs and natural
capabilities that have yet to be incorporated in engineering. They are not only flyers have spurred the active communication and collaboration between the
lighter, but also have much more adaptive structures as well as know-how to aerospace and biological science communities.
integrate aerodynamics with changes in wing and body shapes. Birds and
insects can fly in environments with gusts traveling at speeds comparable I have put together this collection of photographs, many of which were taken
to their own, yet they can react and adjust instantaneously with their flexible around my home and with family and friends. I hope these pictures help us
wings to remain airborne through wind, rain, and snow. appreciate the beauty of the nature, as well as inspire the development of
new flight vehicles.
Besides admiring the elegance of their form and dazzling splendor of
their plumage, we can gain insight from the natural flyers to advance our So please explore, examine, and enjoy.

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