Gorgeous new research highlights some of the differences between fixed-wing flight and birds. Researchers trained a barn owl, tawny owl, and goshawk to glide through a cloud of helium-filled bubbles Keep reading
Tag: gliding
Morphing Wings Using Real Feathers
Although humanity has long been inspired by bird flight, most of our flying machines are nothing like birds. Engineers have struggled to recreate the ease with which birds are able Keep reading
Dandelion Flight, Continued
Not long ago, we learned for the first time that dandelion seeds fly thanks to a stable separated vortex ring that sits behind their bristly pappus. Building on that work, Keep reading
Martian Bees, Canopies, and Dandelion Seeds
The latest FYFD/JFM video is out! May brings us a look at the incredible flight of dandelion seeds, numerical simulations that reveal the flow above forest canopies, and a look Keep reading
Fly Away!
Spiders are often among the first colonists on newly formed volcanic islands. Thanks to their aerial skills, they are able to travel nearly anywhere by ballooning on strands of their Keep reading
PyeongChang 2018: Ski Jumping
No winter sport is more aerodynamically demanding than ski jumping. A jump consists of four parts: the in-run, take-off, flight, and landing. The in-run is where an athlete gains her Keep reading
Gliding Lizards
Flying lizards are truly gliders, but that doesn’t mean they’re unsophisticated. Newly reported observations of the species in the wild show that flying lizards don’t simply hold their forelimbs out a Keep reading
Flying Fish Aerodynamics
Flying fish, strange as it sounds, have aerodynamic prowess comparable to hawks. The fish aren’t true fliers, but they do glide for hundreds of meters using their large pectoral and Keep reading
Soaring Pelicans
Earlier this summer, I looked up on a bright, sunny day and saw a quartet of black and white figures soaring overhead. Initially, I thought it might be a formation Keep reading
The Flying Draco
Nature includes many animals that are so-called fliers: flying squirrels, flying snakes, and draco lizards, to name a few. These animals aren’t true fliers like birds, bats, or insects, though. Keep reading