MICROTEAM - SWIFT : EYES IN DISGUISE
Students: M.F. Abdat, R.T. Gebbink, M. Groen, S. Kosman, J.W. Kruyt, F.W. Landstra, A.K. Sahai, T.S. van der Veen, O. Wartan
Project tutor: ir. D. Lentink
Coaches: ir. H.M. Ruijsink, ing. M. van Dijk, ir. J.P.T.J. Berends, ir. Chr. de Ruijter
Introduction
When the very first sketches of flying machines where drawn by Leonardo da Vinci, the animals flying around in nature provided him with inspiration. Nowadays aircraft are being built in mass production, and yet again innovation may be sought in the flight of birds. The common swift (apus apus) is capable of flying up to 5 times the distance to the moon and back during its lifetime. Swifts have been observed to fly without landing for over a year. Its flight performance is not limited to endurance flight. Also, it is capable of magnificent agility, which it uses to catch insects and even mate in flight. To achieve this versatile performance, the swift morphs its wings; changing wing shape to accustom the body plan to different flight conditions makes this bird the most efficient and versatile flyer in nature.
The paper of this project is available as a PDF-document here.