Wings of fall

The aerodynamics of revolving wings I. Model hawkmoth wings.

Recent work on flapping hawkmoth models has demonstrated the importance of a spiral 'leading-edge vortex' created by dynamic stall, and maintained by some aspect of spanwise flow, for creating the lift required during flight. This study uses propeller models to investigate further the forces acting on model hawkmoth wings in 'propeller-like' rotation ('revolution'). Steadily revolving model haw...

Clipping Wings

Dark wings of desire

After spending two postdoctoral years each in the laboratories of Jun-ichi Tomizawa in Tokyo and Dick Epstein in Geneva, David Shub joined the faculty of the Biology Department at the University at Albany, SUNY, where he has been ever since. For the past 17 years his lab has explored the self-splicing group I introns in bacteria and phages, with emphasis on their origin, distribution, and funct...

Tumbling dynamics of flexible wings

The influence of flexibility on the flight of autorotating winged seedpods is examined through an experimental investigation of tumbling rectangular paper strips freely falling in air. Our results suggest the existence of a critical length above which the wing bends. We develop a theoretical model that demonstrates that this buckling is prompted by inertial forces associated with the tumbling m...

Automatic Measurement of Honeybee Wings

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................289 Wing Mounting ..............................................................................................................................290 Image Acquisition .........................................................................................