Great blue machine

First Test Flight of Jarno’s Human Birdwings is a Success!

karlfrank — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:18:06 +0000

Congratulations Jarno! You made history yesterday! I have the idea that January 19 will come to be celebrated far and wide. The spirits of your grandfather, Otto Lilienthal, Gabriel Poulain and dare I say Leonardo himself are smiling broadly today. I am certainly celebrating your glorious accomplishment! “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” -JFK You are living each day in pursuit of a difficult and challenging dream that has captivated humanity for centuries. Sure there will be critics, those who will have many ideas about how to improve upon the great work you’ve done. If it fits, take what they say and use it to make your birdwings stronger and even more bird-like. Keep your safety first and foremost. You are a HUGE role model for my students and will be for tens of thousands more in the coming weeks. I am going to find the means to create my own heron wings and join you in the not too distant future. Then we can get a whole flock together. We’ve had several snow days here in the Pacific Northwest, but I know my students will be thrilled to see you take-off when we get back to school on Monday. Thank you for dedicating your talents to this lofty goal!

Jarno interviewed on Dutch TV – Omroep West

karlfrank — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:41:15 +0000

From Professor Soon-Jo Chung at UIUC

karlfrank — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:49:32 +0000

From Tom P. on Facebook

karlfrank — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:11:38 +0000

This quadcopter has outstanding flight capabilities.

mwc quad // freeimu v0.4r3 second flight from warthox on Vimeo.

karlfrank — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:11:05 +0000

Fruit Bat Flight Slowed Way Down

karlfrank — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:17:16 +0000

How Pigeons make sharp turns at low speeds

karlfrank — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:46:29 +0000

Ivo Ros studies dynamics of Rock dove flight for Harvard. It is truly glorious footage.

“http://www.sciencefriday.com/embed/video/10417.swf“

Also: When is a Moth Like a Hummingbird?

http://www.sciencefriday.com/embed/video/10413.swf

New video from Jarno on Human Birdwings

karlfrank — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:55:07 +0000

From Jonny Tennant in Ireland

karlfrank — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:17:46 +0000

White Ibis Takes Flight

karlfrank — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:09:47 +0000

In this 300 frame per second clip of an Ibis taking flight, you can really see how birds fold their wings on the upstroke to reduce surface area and thus drag. Smartbird does this with its active torsion, but it is only 450 grams. Heavier models will need to do this even more efficiently.