Tagged: lift

How different are gliders really?

November 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Flight has always been a dream of mankind to attain. Sadly, we can’t flap wings and produce the amount of lift we need to achieve this kind of prolonged flight, but neither can most flying animals. A lot of animals that we think of as flying actually glide. We have figured out how to make […]

By Harris Gordon | Posted in Student post | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on How different are gliders really?

The Shape Factor

September 23, 2012 at 8:36 pm

Birds and flying insects in nature come in different sizes and shapes. We know that there exists minimum and maximum sizes for flight, but what makes a bird or an airplane an efficient flyer? Is there a wing that is perfect for all tasks? Can we borrow some ideas from nature to improve our aircraft?

By Mehmet Akbulut | Posted in Student post | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)