Flexible Wing Flight

[patrick timony]

Can anyone tell me how far back military experiments with Flapping
Flight go? I am interested in why Soaring flight is so rare in nature
but so popular with us? I've heard that the Wright Brothers patented
Wing Warping (Flapping) and never let anyone develop planes using Wing
Warping flight. Is that true? Does that explain why the designs up
until the time of the Wright Brothers were all Bird-like flapping
designs and after were all fixed wing soaring designs? Did the
military pursue Wing Warping on their own? What are the most current
developments in flexible wing flight and where are they being
developed. Thanks for your help.

Patrick Timony

[Tarver Engineering]

"patrick timony" > wrote in message
om...
> Can anyone tell me how far back military experiments with Flapping
> Flight go?

All the way back to the Wright flyer. The original F-18 had a small wing
for the Navy's additional loading and was a twisty wing. I have heard that
the "small wing" will be tried as a beginning to the flex wing program at
Dryden.

> I am interested in why Soaring flight is so rare in nature
> but so popular with us? I've heard that the Wright Brothers patented
> Wing Warping (Flapping) and never let anyone develop planes using Wing
> Warping flight. Is that true?

The Wright brother's design was inferior to aileron designs, so the
technology was dead ended. With the F-18 "small wing" twisting resulted in
aileron reversal and was deemed undesirable. with modern FBW capabilities
it is hoped that the Wright's idea might be once again practical.

> Does that explain why the designs up
> until the time of the Wright Brothers were all Bird-like flapping
> designs and after were all fixed wing soaring designs? Did the
> military pursue Wing Warping on their own?

Wing warping is a very undesirable condition for current technology
aircraft.

> What are the most current
> developments in flexible wing flight and where are they being
> developed. Thanks for your help.

http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/archive/2002/may/i_pw.html

[M. J. Powell]

In message >, patrick
timony > writes
>Can anyone tell me how far back military experiments with Flapping
>Flight go? I am interested in why Soaring flight is so rare in nature
>but so popular with us?

Have you never watched eagles, buzzards etc soar?

> I've heard that the Wright Brothers patented
>Wing Warping (Flapping) and never let anyone develop planes using Wing
>Warping flight.

Wing warping was for directional control not for lift.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell

[breyfogle]

I am not aware of any military experiments with wing flapping. A wing
structure strong enough to withstand the rapid motions would be to heavy to
fly. Airplanes can fly with fixed wings because they carry an engine to
provide forward thrust.

The wing warping that the Wright's patented was not "Flapping" (flapping
like a bird) but rather stream-wise twisting (what we know today as an
aileron ) as a means to bank an airplane into a turn.

"patrick timony" > wrote in message
om...
> Can anyone tell me how far back military experiments with Flapping
> Flight go? I am interested in why Soaring flight is so rare in nature
> but so popular with us? I've heard that the Wright Brothers patented
> Wing Warping (Flapping) and never let anyone develop planes using Wing
> Warping flight. Is that true? Does that explain why the designs up
> until the time of the Wright Brothers were all Bird-like flapping
> designs and after were all fixed wing soaring designs? Did the
> military pursue Wing Warping on their own? What are the most current
> developments in flexible wing flight and where are they being
> developed. Thanks for your help.
>
> Patrick Timony
>

[Mike Marron]

(patrick timony) wrote:

>Can anyone tell me how far back military experiments with Flapping
>Flight go? I am interested in why Soaring flight is so rare in nature
>but so popular with us?

Actually, the reverse is true. Whereas birds perfected the art of
soaring umpteen million years ago, us lowly land dwellers have
only recently learned to soar and we still have a long, LONG ways
to go before we attain the level of perfection of our avian friends.

>I've heard that the Wright Brothers patented Wing Warping (Flapping)
>and never let anyone develop planes using Wing Warping flight. Is
>that true?

Orville and Wilber did not patent flapping, however, I think they did
patent wingwarping as a means of flight control.

>Does that explain why the designs up until the time of the Wright Brothers
>were all Bird-like flapping designs and after were all fixed wing soaring
>designs?

No (see above).

>Did the military pursue Wing Warping on their own? What are the most
>current developments in flexible wing flight and where are they being
>developed. Thanks for your help.

The most current developments of flexwing flight can be seen on a
common flexwing trike or hangglider. The pilot simply moves a control
bar left or right which simultaneously shifts the center of gravity
(CG) and increases or decreases wing washout so as to effect a turn in
the desired direction. With regards to wing warping, I've seen photos
somewhere on the web depicting a NASA F-18 experimenting with wing
warping.

-Mike Marron

[patrick timony]

Thanks so much, you all, that's very helpful.

Patrick Timony

[Mike Marron]

> (patrick timony) wrote:

>Thanks so much, you all, that's very helpful.

Also, if you ever get a chance go up for a ride and
notice how agile and strong a flexwing trike is. No
pulleys, cables, bellhorns, rigging headaches etc.
normally associated with conventional control surfaces
to worry about. Flexwings can effortlessly out turn and
out climb their aileron, rudder and elevator-equipped
counterparts and since it's a flexwing, the wing, not
your butt, takes the brunt of the punishment in turbulence.
It's a glass smooth, magic carpet ride. For more info,
see my (somewhat out-dated) website:

http://www.marronair.com/

-Mike Marron