Page 39 - The Origin of Birds and Flight

37

CATCHING THE WIND
Residual air
current left
over from
the previous
wingbeat

It is impossible for fruit flies to know the principles of aerodynamics and put
them into flawless operation. They act under the inspiration of Allah, using a
flight system that human beings cannot imitate.
Robot fly

The better we understand the functioning of insect wings, the more subtle
and beautiful their designs appear . . . Structures are traditionally designed
to deform as little as possible; mechanisms are designed to move compo-
nent parts in predictable ways. Insect wings combine both in one, using
components with a wide range of elastic properties, elegantly assembled
to allow appropriate deformations in response to appropriate forces and
to make the best possible use of the air. They have few if any technologi-
cal parallels—yet. 6

1. Laura DeFrancesco, "Learning How Flies Fly", 4. Laura DeFrancesco, "Learning How Flies Fly",
The Scientist, Vol. 16, No. 2, 21 January 2002, loc. cit.,
p. 27; 5. http://www.berkeley.edu/news/magazine/fall_
2. "Sinekler Nas›l Uçar?", (How do flies fly?), 98/discoveries_fly.html
Hürriyet Bilim magazine, March 22, 2003. 6. J. Robin Wootton, "The Mechanical Design of
3. http://www.the-scientist.com/ Insect Wings", Scientific American, Vol. 263,
yr2002/jan/research2_020121.html November 1990, p. 120.