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Journal of Experimental Biology 46,431-443 (1967)
Published by Company of Biologists 1967

Flight in Drosophila : III. Aerodynamic Characteristics of Fly Wing Sand Wing Models

STEVEN VOGEL ¹

¹ Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706

1. The variation of the lift and drag of fruit-fly wings with angle of attack and velocity was compared with that of thin plates.

2. High drag and low ratios of lift to drag characterized these airfoils, the primary difference being the absence of stalling in the fly wings.

3. Flow photographs and determinations of stall point on thin plates suggested that the fly wing behaves as if encountering a Reynolds number below the actual value.

4. At positive angles of attack camber improved the aerodynamic characteristics of fly wings; at negative angles uncambered wings were superior.

5. The structural basis for the performance of fly wings and the relationship of their characteristics to their opening conditions are discussed.

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