Article: Getting in a flap

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? James DeLaurier's ornithopter is a bit of both. Justin Cunningham reports

Engineers often take inspiration from nature. They might contemplate a spider's web, the tough shell of a turtle, or the ability to fly like a bird These days it's all too easy to think we have conquered the skies, but toffy like a bird is still a challenge that has largely been unmet

The idea of an ornithopter - an aircraft that flaps its wings to produce thrust and lift - has been much touted, most famously in Leonardo da Vinci's drawings of a flying machine inspired by nature's flapping wings. But, since the Wright brothers separated propulsion and lift by using a static wing and a ...

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