This work is a synthesis of our current understanding of the mechanics, aerodynamics and
visually mediated control of dragonfly and damselfly flight, with the addition of new …

Powered flight was once a capability limited only to animals, but by identifying useful
attributes of animal flight and building on these with technological advances, engineers …

It was thought that the aerodynamics of flapping flight in birds is fully understood for quite
some time, but recent studies have shown that this is not the case. Bird flight uses …

Insect wing shapes are remarkably diverse and the combination of shape and kinematics
determines both aerial capabilities and power requirements. However, the contribution of …

Slow flight is extremely energetically costly per unit time, yet highly important for takeoff and
survival. However, at slow speeds it is presently thought that most birds do not produce …

An analytical treatment to quantify the losses captured in the induced power factor, k, is
provided for flapping wings in normal hover, including the effects of non-uniform downwash …

Gliding is an important flight mode for insects because it saves energy during long distance
flight without wing flapping. In this study, we investigated the influence of locust wing …

Many flying animals use both flapping and gliding flight as part of their routine behaviour.
These two kinematic patterns impose conflicting requirements on wing design for …

We present a computational study of flapping-wing aerodynamics of a calliope hummingbird
(Selasphorus calliope) during fast forward flight. Three-dimensional wing kinematics were …

Slow and hovering animal flight creates high demands on the lift production of animal wings.
Steady state aerodynamics is unable to explain the forces required and the most commonly …