Demonstrated Crosswind
 

Whilst spending a miserable weekend in the glorious british weather. I was trundling down my driveway (unintentionally) chasing a pigeon (for some reason they dont like stepping sideways to avoid vehicles).

Anyhow it was a windy day and the pidgeon then proceeded to do a crosswind takeoff (crabbed) until it climbed to about 10ft, then turned and escaped. I always thought they would do a climb into wind...

Got me thinking do any real birds use the "wing down" technique :}

Although it seems humerous - nature often has elegant ways to solve problems and it just got me wondering if nature does indeed use the wing down or always crabs when necessary, or perhaps if they are commercial birds working for the RSPB then they may combine the both ;).

I suppose they have a few more aerodynamic tricks up their sleeve.

Both wings and tail plane can rotate about three axis so the tail feather can be canted and twisted into wind as presumably can the wings. Whether or not they actually use these techniques I have no idea, although it is fascinating to see the extent to which the shape of the aerofoil is changed when watching slow motion film of birds in flight. Watching hummingbirds hover, and fly both backwards and forwards, the supreme master of flight that they clearly are, moves into another dimension warp wing design.

Birds
 

We have a fair sized pond in the garden with up to 50 mallard there at one time.
Watching them land is awesome,they approach at around 40 mph then just drop in almost vertically if neccessaary, and you can see the wing feathers moving just like flaps and it's a fantastic sight if there is a strong wind blowing.
Also watching hawks hover with the primary feathers extended like fingers,and swifts changing direction like jet fighters.
Sometimes barn owls glide through the garden without a sound due to their very soft ,downy and pliable feathers.
Swans will not land in small water areas because they know they won't get enough take-off run.
Pheasants can take off almost vertically despite their size.
Makes me feel just a bit inadequate!
Lister;);)

Fuji, You don't know how good it feels as a helicopter pilot to see those words written by a fixed wing pilot! :}
As for nature's aviators, I could spend hours watching the auks and the fulmars flying to and from their precarious cliff nesting sites. Downwind approaches followed by an impossible turn into wind, flare, stop and land in an instant and as often as not a go around, all with a terrified look on their faces!. It never ceases to amaze me how the Puffin got its license seeing their landing technique - and they do it for a living!

Im always amazed at the speed of some birds in flight

On one notable occasion a big wood pigeon flew at 45mph in front of my car down a country lane :) surprised me so much I had to check it on the speedo!
(One wonders if they do this for fun!?)

I have to agree that swallows and swifts are VERY entertaining chasing insects on summer evenings!

GW

heres another 2 questions:

1) have you seen a bird do a loop the loop?

2) have you seen a brid do a barrel roll?

I haven't, but they must be capable of it and they must feel like having a laugh now and again which doesn't involve pooing on the humans.

think the've got more sense...maybe they are amused seeing us do such things.:}:eek:

does'nt it strike you as strange that those that were born to fly, with feathers, do'nt whereas some of us that think we were born to fly , without feathers,..do..!!!:} got to be a moral in there somewhere..:confused:

dean

Aerobatics is natural, just part of normal life and also common by Australian parrots. http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_017.htm

Just as I pressed the save button, the kookaburras started laughing!

As I remember there is a description of swallows (i think) in flight in "Cannibal Queen" by Steven Coonts where he watches one fly over the side of the grand canyon, half-roll inverted and pull through to the vertical. Apparently it is done repeatedly too :)

The classic work concerning bird aerobatics is, of course, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Now that should divide opinion a bit...

;)