And the winner is BIRDS of course! Pitting technology against nature is, for lack of a better word, natural. It seems to be a constant struggle that we as humans have undergone and continue to engage in at our instinctual behest to top the animal kingdom and control the environment. Just look around and you will see the war we have waged to bind the elements in all their positive and negative glories.
But even with our most ancient of dreams coming true thanks to two Wrights, we still cannot claim a mastery of the air. And I’m glad to say that honor still belongs to the birds. With trillions of dollars and countless hours, no aircraft can come close to the average bird’s acrobatic maneuverability. Plus, birds rarely crash!
So let’s take a look at the aerial abilities of birds and airplanes:
Travel Speed (body lengths/second)
Aircraft
- 32 body lengths/sec (supersonic SR-71 Blackbird)
Note: Traveling near Mach 3 or approximately 2000 mph
Birds
- 75 body lengths/sec (Common Pigeon)
- 120 body lengths/sec (Common Starling)
- 140 body lengths/sec (swifts)
Roll Rate (degrees/second)
Aircraft
- 720 degrees/second (A-4 Skyhawk)
Birds
- 5000 degrees/second (Barn Swallow)
G forces allowed
Aircraft
- 4-5 Gs (general aircraft)
- 8-10 Gs (select military aircraft)
Birds
- 10-14 Gs (many bird species)
Note: performed hundreds of times per day
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by journowl, Carole Brown. Carole Brown said: @journowl Birds Versus Airplanes: A Comparison of Aerial Acrobatics http://bit.ly/2vcsdO Great article […]
Great post Scott! Although it is obvious by watching any swallow or swift that birds have it over anything humans could ever concoct, the comparison numbers are astonishing! Roll rate 5000 degrees per second, now THAT’S a roll!
.-= Larry Jordan´s last blog ..Comment on Western Grebe Feeding Young by Madah =-.
Nice article, Scott. Hope to see many more. This really enhances love and respect for our avian friends.
.-= Suresh C Sharma´s last blog ..Brown Fish Owl – one more rarity in Haryana =-.
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