Are Silent Aircrafts a Thing of the Future?

Rick Patterson

Attorney

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When scientists and aerodynamicists want to come up with new ideas for aircrafts they are still looking at nature, and what better place is there to get ideas then from the greatest creations of all time. Take the owl for example, when the owl stalks its prey, it is afforded the advantage of a quirk in its wing which allows a silent hunt.

This leaves even a mouse with great hearing at a distinct disadvantage; it can't hear the owl swoop. The sound is muffled by fringe-like feathers that hang off the bird.

This idea of the silent owl is a guide for aviation experts who see the distinct value in developing silent airplanes. "It's not just strapping wings on and jumping off a cliff," says James DeLaurier, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto who spent decades studying flapping wings. "It's respectable to look at nature for inspiration. We don't come close to doing all the things that nature does."

It appears that both NASA and the military have funded extensive research into planes that mimic birds' ability to shift the size and shape of their wings. This fascination with birds and/or aerodynamics is not a new one. Leonardo da Vinci, studied birds for quite some time. From his studies he drew a detailed plan for a glider with bird-like wings. The Wright brothers also studied birds as they developed their airplane.

Given the technological advances we have been fortunate enough to see in the past century. It is exciting to think about the future not only in terms of aviation but the possibilities in general. The future is indeed burgeoning with discoveries just waiting to unfold.