CROWD meets at Stirling Castle in Scotland to witness a spectacular event. There on the roof, an Italian alchemist announced that he would fly to France with specially designed bird wings and feathers.
Has been! But where does it end? At the foot of the castle with a broken thigh bone! This ended an attempt in the 16th century to imitate miracles with the flight of birds.
Many people have long believed that if a man just has feathers like a bird and flaps his wings, he can fly. Over the past two centuries, however, people have come to realize that birds are better equipped to fly than previously thought. This unique piece of equipment includes feathers, wing shapes, specialized muscles, body shape, bone structure and of course the instinctive ability to deal with different flight factors. Humans have learned a lot from birds and invented machines that could uncomfortably imitate their flight. But it was not designed to fly like them!
The need to fly
Of course, humans don't need to fly to survive, unlike most birds. They are very active beings who require large amounts of food. For example, their heart beats 200 to 1000 times per minute and their body temperature is between 39 and 44 degrees Celsius (102 and 112 degrees Fahrenheit). It is estimated that on normal combat flight the Swift can fly 12 to 14 hours per day at a speed of approximately 65 kilometers per hour. When this bird feeds its young, it can travel about 150 miles per day.
Some birds can fly at tremendous speeds for a short time. It is well known that hawks dive at around 290 kilometers per hour. In India, sharp swifts have been measured at around 320 kilometers per hour.
When an observer sees a bird fly smoothly, he must ask himself: how do the birds do? How do you manage to stay afloat?
The secret of escape
Although we can't see the air around us, we know it can be very powerful when in motion. During a storm, trees can be uprooted and roofs built. Likewise, the air circulating around the wings of a specially shaped bird is enough to neutralize gravity and prevent the creature from falling to the ground. Without the effect of air movement, a bird would fall to the ground like a stone.
A bird's wing is shaped such that air must fly higher above the wing than below. Therefore, the air above the wing moves faster to "reach" so to speak.
Due to the increased speed, the air above the wing is "thinner" than the air below the wing. The “denser” compressed air under the wing exerts more pressure and pushes the bird upwards and provides the necessary support. Something similar happens when you drink through a straw. When you suck on the straw, you dilute the air in the straw. The normal outside air is then "more dense" and presses the liquid into the straw.
Air reaching the underside of the bird's wing also tends to lift it. At the same time, the creature must use some of its strength to overcome the effects of air drag.
To fly, a bird usually jumps in the air and flaps its wings. At first glance, it seems that the bird is just shaking it upside down. However, a more detailed study reveals that this hectic flight is much more complex. The bird pulls its wings down and back, with the feathers tightly closed and the wings extended to push out as much air as possible. Then, with the springs open, pull the fenders forward and up to allow air to circulate. The wings only gave a sense of proportion.
The wing's movement provides the lift and propulsion needed to overcome "pull" and gain speed. The movement of the bird's wings can be compared to that of a swimmer performing the "butterfly strike". His arms spin around the shoulder joint as he throws them into the air and then pushes them back into the water. However, the flight is much more complex and involves the rotation of the wing and the relative movements of the different parts of it.
The faster the bird moves, the greater the support for the air flowing around the wings. It was estimated that a pigeon starting for the first time consumes five times more energy than when it reached a normal flight.
For most larger birds, the increase in wings is still not large enough to support their extra weight and traction, especially during takeoff. Some of them, like the pelican, walk a few meters on the ground to increase the lifting speed. Others, such as vultures, land on a tree or fence and gain enough speed with gravity to jump so that their wings can lift them.
The heaviest bird that can fly is the trumpet swan, which weighs up to 18 kilos. Heavy birds have a limited heart rate due to intense exertion. However, this does not limit their ability to fly, as they have learned another form of theft.
Flows and floats
Large birds can fly long distances for hours due to drag with their wings that barely move. We can be inspired by a shared experience to illustrate what these streams are. When you put your hand on something warm, you can feel the warm air rise. When the sun heats up on land, some areas heat up more than others, depending on the nature of the surface. This causes the air to rise above the surfaces and create a strong draft, even if everything looks very calm on the ground. These upward currents, called "thermal", are bubbles with hot air in the form of donuts and reach heights of 3 kilometers.
An upward current is also generated when the wind hits a hill or a mountain. The wind exposes itself to the mountain side and the movement of the air continues beyond the top of the mountain.
If a bird encounters an upward current that rises faster than the bird falls down, it can "climb" on it and normally turn around to stay on the upward current. The open wings capture the upstream like a light. This allows birds to reach height almost effortlessly. This type of flight is called "flight".
Associated with this is a "gliding flight" where the bird sinks with open wings and all surfaces are expanded to reduce its descent. The best gliders can travel a distance of about 20 times the altitude they descend from.
Gliding birds, such as vultures, gulls, pelicans, hawks and eagles, can travel great distances with minimal effort, fly upstream and then fly to another. The movements of the wings simply allow them to float in an upward flow at the same altitude or move from gliding to an aircraft in an instant. Some bird species can travel at speeds between 30 and 80 kilometers per hour most of the day, which saves energy. In general, you can see when birds use this type of flight, as they rotate for a while while standing and then turn into a long straight plane.
Birds like the albatross are good at handling strong sea winds. With the wind behind you, the albatross starts a long glide towards the water surface and gains speed. A few meters from the water, it turns into wind and is lifted by it, gaining height but losing speed. Then turn around and start the bike again. By adjusting the distances covered in any part of this cycle, the bird can travel in any direction. With this technology, for example, the real albatross can move at speeds between 80 and 110 kilometers per hour for long periods. The only effort is that the bird has to keep its wings open and sometimes pat once or twice.
Because wing flapping takes a lot of energy, large birds fly and soar whenever they can. They mainly use their wings to move from one position to another and launch themselves. These birds flap their wings only one to three times per second, while most songbirds flap twice as fast. A hummingbird that is only five centimeters long and weighs only 3 grams flaps its wings 60 to 70 times per second. It can hover like a helicopter and is the only bird able to fly backwards.
The art of turning and landing
The control of birds in the air is amazing. You can hit one wing faster than the other. This means that the wing is also rising, which means the bird can turn very sharply. The tail feathers also play a role. In addition, they contribute to balance and act as a brake when necessary. The way birds come in and out, avoid branches and collisions shows that they really own air.
When it comes to landing, birds have what it takes to make almost unbelievably perfect landings. A bird should take into account altitude, speed and direction, as well as wind currents, so that it does not hit the ground violently or fall when landing. Some heavier birds have to walk a few feet to keep their balance.
The birds skillfully use their wings and even their tails to slow down and control the landing so they can descend in a way that is barely awkward. It's an acrobatic feat considering the speed at which they approach the landing site. Sometimes birds flap their wings in the opposite direction of flight to slow down quickly.