Mechanics of Forward Flight in Bumblebees: II. QUASI-STEADY LIFT AND POWER REQUIREMENTS
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Calculations of the mechanical power requirements of forward flight in bumblebees show that the power required to fly is independent of airspeed over a range from hovering flight to an airspeed of 4.5 ms −1.Abstract:
This paper examines the aerodynamics and power requirements of forward flight in bumblebees. Measurements weremade of the steady-state lift and drag forces acting on bumblebee wings and bodies. The aerodynamic force and pitching moment balances for bumblebees previously filmed in free flight were calculated. A detailed aerodynamic analysis was used to show that quasi-steady aerodynamic mechanisms are inadequate to explain even fast forward flight. Calculations of the mechanical power requirements of forward flight show that the power required to fly is independent of airspeed over a range from hovering flight to an airspeed of 4.5 ms −1read more
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References
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Quick Estimates of Flight Fitness in Hovering Animals, Including Novel Mechanisms for Lift Production
TL;DR: In this article, the average lift coefficient, Reynolds number, the aerodynamic power, the moment of inertia of the wing mass and the dynamic efficiency in animals which perform normal hovering with horizontally beating wings are derived.
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Storage of elastic strain energy in muscle and other tissues
TL;DR: The elastic materials involved include muscle in every case, but only in insect flight is the proportion of the energy stored in the muscle substantial.
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The Aerodynamics of Hovering Insect Flight. I. The Quasi-Steady Analysis
TL;DR: In this paper, the aerodynamics of hovering insect flight are re-examined in this series of six papers, and a conclusion opposite to Weis-Fogh's is tentatively reached.