More than just a bumpy journey: turbulence powers the birds

Most wise air travelers are afraid of bumps

By combining wind speed data with the acceleration measured by the Golden Eagle equipped with GPS tracking instruments, the researchers suggested that instead of hindering flight

This counterintuitive discovery can modify our understanding of bird flight and help the aerospace industry develop faster and more efficient ways to fly in turbulent environments

According to Gregory Bully, an assistant professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, although the flight of birds may appear relaxed and elegant to the audience on the earth, the winged animals are actually controlling the structure and texture.

In 17 days, this golden eagle migrated northward to Canada along the Appalachian Mountains.

Bewley’s laboratory then obtained wind speed data from the National Environmental Prediction Center’s weather history database and mapped it to the eagle’s flight measurement data.

How strong are these accelerations? As a point of comparison, people's experience of taking a car or taking a commercial flight is less than 0.

Of course, aviation engineers strive to reduce turbulence as much as possible, and no airline passengers or pilots want a bumpy flight

"If you can find a path where each vortex pushes you in the right direction, then it is obvious that you can get there faster with less energy," Beverly said we are still working on the turbulence itself

This research was funded in part by the Friends of Talladega National Forest

Journal Reference :

1. Kasey M.