Flight performance analysis of a migratory bird using flight mechanics equations

The flight mechanism of a bird is rather similar to that of an airplane because they both follow the same aerodynamic rules. For migratory birds that sustain flight without flapping their wings for very long periods and have relatively higher Reynolds numbers of flight, this similarity is very impressive. This paper aims to analyze flight performance of migratory birds using flight mechanics equations and to compare the results with the bird flight data. In that way, the obtained model can be validated, and used to estimate the performance of the flapping unmanned aerial vehicles. To that end, the flight performance of a brent goose, a migratory bird, is examined: Firstly, the flight of migratory birds is modeled. Then, the chemical and mechanical powers of the bird is obtained and analyzed. Afterwards, several performance parameters such as the aerodynamic efficiency coefficient, rate of climb, climb gradient, optimum airspeed interval and range are attained. Also, a comparison is made between the results of this study and real acquired data for a brent goose in order to validate the method. Finally, the effects of the altitude and weight on the performance parameters are studied. The results of this study indicate that the flight dynamic equations are capable to predict flight performance of migratory birds with acceptable precision.