That Was The Summer That Was July-August 2023
As Kingfishers Catch Fire
For those of you in the northern hemisphere, I hope that you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer break. I spent mine by a river at an old water mill, in rural France. I spent much of my day watching the birds and thinking about aviation – to each his own, I guess.
Airbus and Boeing have talked about copying the birds in the design of new aircraft. They are interested in the bone structure of birds, light, but strong, distributed in ways we do not currently do for aircraft, and capable of amazing flight. The airframers are also looking at more flexible wings and differently shaped wingboxes. They are studying how to mimic the birds’ climb profiles. This goes nowhere near far enough! Indeed, frankly, it misses the point. The truth is closer than you think.
The birds along the river I was overlooking already represent the aviation industry. The busy sparrows, slightly round of body and low-slung are obviously the B737s of the river. The swallows, more elegant in body shape, doing touch and goes as they refuel, are the A320 family. Both sets of birds never stop during the day, flying a network that is hard to understand unless you are inside the planning process.
Magpies and blackbirds are the next size up, the B787 and the A350. Longer haul, more selective about the branches (or airports) they land at. They sit on the trees, waiting for the right moment to beat the curfew somewhere else and make their move. At night, the bats and owls are the freight operators, moving almost without sound, but ferrying goods back and forth. Busy, whilst we sleep.
It should also be noted that the birds self-separate. No cumbersome air traffic control procedures for them. It should also be noted that as they self-separate, they never collide. Why can’t we copy that part right now?
Furthermore, for the dedicated plane-spotter, there are any number of other types to note. The tiny tree-climber, a very rare bird, somewhat like an ultra-light, and about as endangered. The finches, the nightingale and the robins. Always great to spot. The hawks, such as the kestrels, are the military aircraft. Down at the very low-level airspace, dragonflies are the drones of this piece of airspace. Herons are helicopters. Almost perfect vertical take-off and landing, whilst somehow looking pre-historic. It is just about possible to allocate roles to all of the birds. I confess, however, that the woodpecker defeats me. Not sure we want an aircraft that has as its feature the desire to bash into trees.
That leaves two sorts of birds, the pigeons (and doves) and the kingfishers. The pigeons are the biplane of the airspace. They are so cumbersome, so badly designed that often their wings slap together at the top of the arc as they flap hard trying to take off. They also make a very stupid noise.
Kingfishers, on the other hand, are beyond our understanding. They fly as if they have jets attached to their wings, which seem not to move at all. They fly low over the water, incredibly quickly. If one comes past, it is as if a gas torch has been lit in front of you, a blur of orange and blue. They move at that amazing pace, then will do a 45-degree turn, fly at full speed to the water, do the entire diffraction thing, stop, stop dead, catch a fish, do a 90-degree turn out of the water and get back to top speed instantly, with a load. We are about a million years from designing technology that can match that!
Inspirational.