Through turbulent skies - how fluid dynamics experts are uncovering the secrets of bird flight

Abstraction: Experimental fluid dynamics research revealing how birds exploit turbulence

Key points:

• Pelicans use anhedral (dipped) wingtip shape near water for more lift than ground effect alone — EPFL wind-tunnel and towing-tank experiments
• Red-tailed hawk Petey (Auburn University) flew through sudden updrafts that crash flapping-wing drones; primary mitigation is wing-pitch adjustment
• Cornell GPS-accelerometer study of 6 golden eagles found first evidence that birds amplify strong updrafts rather than suppress them
• Biohybrid wind-tunnel experiments used real pigeon feathers and dissected bat wings for realistic aerodynamic data
• Presented at APS Division of Fluid Dynamics 2023 annual meeting; findings have implications for gust-tolerant drone design

Connections: Epfl · Cornell University · Auburn University · Fluid Dynamics · Aerodynamics

Source: https://physicsworld.com/a/through-turbulent-skies-how-fluid-dynamics-experts-are-uncovering-the-secrets-of-bird-flight/