This post may not fit the requirements, but it might be construed as a hint, of sorts. After completing a couple "jobs" today, I checked my career progress--Level 14, some accolades, many crashes, 40% passenger satisfaction, 4 % made ill--not a bad performance for a 71 year old novice. Later, just after 7PM I went out and sat down in my backyard, enjoying the unseasonal warmth, and streaking through the barren tree branches barreled a little bird, maybe a sparrow, which shot around some bushes and made a perfect flare and perched on an arbor vita. Now the conditions were not good, no wind, but very limited visibility due to well advanced dusk. Well, maybe the creature was just after a quick $100 grub because it quickly took off, streaked to nearly V(never exceed), and darted at perhaps 80 knots through bushes and tree limbs, to disappear in the west. And I thought my flying skills were progressing! This little guy put me right in my place. That little brain was processing so much information and responding so quickly, with complete mastery of its flight dynamics. I'd really enjoy sometime sitting down with him and chatting about sideslips and stalls....

What a great post. You are truly a flier. :good:Al

"thumbs up"

Love posts like this.. Nicely written!

Excellent post!. Makes me want to look out the window for some flying lessons!

great post for an old novice. welcome!

Love posts like this.. Nicely written!

My sentiments as well, really enjoyed reading!

Birds are awesome! I was standing next to a pond when four Canadian geese swooped over my head in formation, flared for landing (wings back and feet out) and gracefully landed in the water. They came in so fast and low that I felt the breeze go by. Probably one of the top five things coolest things I have ever witnessed in nature. Crazy how they can master flight, maintain their bearings, adhere to the pecking order and fly in tight formations.

This little guy put me right in my place. That little brain was processing so much information and responding so quickly, with complete mastery of its flight dynamics. I'd really enjoy sometime sitting down with him and chatting about sideslips and stalls....

I am fascinated that the wing was merely derived from an animal part, the wing of a bird.Birds, and all animals, never cease to amaze me with their beauty. (I wonder if they think that about humans?? )

great post Reball .birds sometimes are amazing to watch . I was a member of a racing pigeons club . Talk about navigation skills and racing pigeons sure know a thing or two . 500miles was the longest race i ever went into and all my 5 birds made it home not in first place but made it home .

I was once circling over a stubble fire in Leicestershire in my glider, using the heat rising from the fire to gain lift (sadly something you can't do much these days now that they rarely burn off stubble in fields). I saw a large seabird fly over to where I was circling and join me, right alongside the canopy, and together, we went around and around in the thermal for an altitude gain of about 3,000 feet, riding on the bumpy air of a beautiful summer's day back in August 1997 with nothing but the sound of the wind and the quiet beeping of the variometer.That bird was less than two feet from the canopy on the right side the whole time, and stayed in perfect formation with me, it would have been possible to reach out and touch it if the canopy perspex had not been there. I watched it making almost imperceptible minor changes to its wing shape by adjusting its feathers to steer, in order to stay in formation with me, whilst I had to use the stick and the rudder pedals, which seemed clumsy by comparison. It was one of the most magical moments of my life, flying in formation with that bird, I felt that for just a short few minutes that we had a real connection as we both simply delighted in the sensation of riding the air. You can't buy an experience like that for any amount of money in the world, and I wouldn't swap having done it for anything.Al

Wow, Al. That must have been awesome having a real "wingman..."

Wonderful posts, Reball and Chock :) I really enjoyed reading those. Also, beautifully written.Cheers

Chock,What a magical moment that must have been. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it.Of course the bird was probably thinking, "You came here in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" Hehe.

Seems we are not the only ones that do this kind of "bird watching"... I could sit for hours watching hummingbirds feed and dart about the backyard."When designing the first airplane, the Wright brothers spent lots of time observing birds for inspiration and modern scientists are again beginning to base much of their research in airplane wing design on the shapes of bird's wings. Birds have an amazing amount of maneuverability when flying and even the most common bird can put a man made fighter jet to shame in its mobility and flexibility. Barry Lazos who works as a fluid aerodynamicist for NASA has been studying birds' flight for years and is still unable to determine how, exactly, birds perform their aerial feats (Hoffman). For example, a common seagull flaps it's wings to make shaper turns, but during steady flight it uses almost imperceptible movements in its wing tips to change direction. In addition, a seagull makes no use of its tail as a rudder during steady flight (Hoffman). Ultimately, researchers at NASA hope to discover some of the secrets that allow birds to fly with such efficiency and maneuverability and apply similar techniques to future aircraft designs."http://www2.hesston....gn/research.htm