You wanted wingflex...

[Mats_J 2]

...Now is what I call wingflex.More videos on [link:www.ornithopter.ca/MediaGallery/Videos/index_e.html|this] page.Full details of this ground breaking bird can be found [link:www.ornithopter.ca]here.Have fun,

[Guest AJ]

Very very impressive. Though I have serious doubts about it practical potential, if they can get it stable and fully controlable,it will represent an amazing feat of engineering. Andrew

[downscc 1,327]

Yeah.. I was almost speechless after watching that. Golly.The flapping wing stumped aeronautical engineers for a long time (you've heard that bumblebees can't fly?) until technology advanced to the point where it could be discovered that the moving surface creates a vortex (the sharp edge and thin design is important) which is then ridden by the wing on the subsequent down stroke. Pretty interesting, transfer energy into a small tornado then ride the tornado. Very efficient at the scales involved, not sure what kind of Reynolds numbers are involved but I'd assume it'd be hard to do with anything larger than a dragonfly or hummingbird or whatever (large birds work differently).

[Guest AJ]

In addition to the general physics challenge, I would also imagine that building a flapping wing system of that scale capable of reliably withstanding the forces involved would also be really tough to do. I am guessing it was pretty interesting from the pilot's perspective as well. That takeoff run must have felt like someone kicking you in the pants over and over.Andrew

[Mats_J 2]

Gents,If not already found. There is a pilot's report here: http://www.ornithopter.ca/pilot_s_corner_e.htmlCheers,

[Richard McDonald Woods 168]

Hi Mats,Surely all that is happening is a fixed-wing airplane loosing much of its lift by waggling the wings about?Cheers, Richard McDonald Woods

[martinboehme 492]

Richard,this isn't about building a conventionally-powered aircraft that just happens to have flapping wings... this is about building an aircraft where, to quote the "How It Works" section on the website, "All of the thrust and nearly all of the lift is created by the mechanical flapping of the ornithopter's wings."Here's the link:http://www.ornithopter.ca/how_it_works_e.htmlCheers,Martin