Principles of Flight ;-j

2007 AD Christ

Principles of Flight

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What are the principles of flight exactly?
Why is the Spitfire the most successful aircraft ever?
Why have we only evolved flight in the last 100 years?

Principles of flight : The Original Victor ( I think this one's an African Spitfire : Black and white stripes, just like a Quagga)

Objects fly because of pressure.

The way objects use pressure to fly varies somewhat, but essentially the dynamic is the same. Flying is much the same as swimming. Treading water is virtually the same as hovering: The flying or floating object makes itself (and its immediate surrounding area) lighter than the body of fluid around that, and the object must therefore rise.

There is also a more subtle, hidden dynamic within this, which allows flying creatures to move forward and up simultaneously; however let us first examine the way a balloon floats by being lighter than air because it heats the air. The hot air is now a low pressure system, that must rise.

But a bubble does not have the luxury of a burner to heat the air inside it. A hot breath may have a small effect, but that heat will dissipate quite quickly.

Also, the fluid nature of the soapy water shell is very elastic, so any pressure difference should equalize, making it heavier than air as the water is denser than the air. But a small breeze can carry it quite a distance before it sinks in air which is more stable.

So up to a point, the force of the wind counteracts the weight of the shell of the bubble.

Now observe that most elegant of all the winged creatures, the dragonfly. Her buzzing movement keeps a pocket of air at low pressure.

Because her wings move so fast, like most insects and humming birds do, they are capable of hovering and maneuvering perfectly.

Have you noticed how a creature that flies using a buzzing motion, is more nimble than a flapper is? And flapping wings are also more maneuverable than fixed wings are.

Why?

In Zimbabwe the Dragonflies escort you like a little squadron of spitfires. They eat the nasty tsetse flies which can make you very sick. Never kill a dragonfly unless you want to die of tsetse fly!

Because the fast buzzing movement acts as a shield against the higher pressure air. The high pressure air, wants to sink the dragonfly, but so long as she buzzes, she has complete control.

If she wants to descend, she slows the buzz rate. A small amount of high pressure air seeps into the low zone, and the dragonfly and its cocoon of air, are now slightly heavier than before.

How different is this from a balloon? Not much at all.