Learning to fly

Flying for humans have always been about rockets, jets and the Bernoulli effect. This has worked well and this has managed to shuttle people around the world, albeit spewing an incredible amount of greenhouse gases. It is, however, an unnatural way to fly – something that may have been obvious to those who first observed flying birds. The recent paper by Mr. William Thielicke in the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow, illustrates why we may have to learn to fly again.

Flying, as most recognize, is about take off, coasting and landing. Technologies that disproportionately help one aspect or the other is unlikely to be optimal for the whole flight. Wing flapping propulsion and highly maneuverable guidance systems may fundamentally change flying, possibly merging all transportation systems – both short and long range. It may also allow a higher level of customizability, moving us closer to anytime, anywhere personal transportation systems. The advantage of fixed wing designs has always been said to be efficiency at the cost of maneuverability. However, these comparisons are made across available technologies in various design spaces. Thus, they are not always true although it may have held many aerospace engineers prisoners to what they have been taught in closed classrooms. They may also been influenced by engineering behemoths who have significant incentive to perpetuate the status-quo.

It is time engineers attempted to learn to fly again. There is no single way and what is available now is unnatural and artificially "efficient," if societal costs are not fully internalized.