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gcdm
Dragonstar
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 221
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 Posted: Mon 10 Mar 2008 13:09 Post subject: Holes in wings |
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i've been puzzled by this, maybe it's because i don't know how a dragon uses the air to fly but, shouldn't a dragon not be able to fly with holes in it's wings?
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albvan
Shining Dragonstar
Joined: 24 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Mon 10 Mar 2008 13:32 Post subject: |
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Depends on the size of the holes, wing surface, weight of the dragon... If the dragon can fly and the holes are small, I see no reason why it shouldn't be able to fly. But, unfortunately, I can give you no concrete information, because I simply don't know.  |
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Ragnarok
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Joined: 27 Sep 2004
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Location: Tucson, AZ, USA.
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| Posted: Mon 10 Mar 2008 14:30 Post subject: |
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It would, I think, depend on the type of flier the dragon was and how much "extra" lift the wings could generate normally. A flapper probably wouldn't be able to fly with a sizable hole in its wing, because the downbeat of the wing is what generates the lift, and holes would mean that less lift would be generated.
A glider, however, uses the wing as an airfoil, so a few holes may not disrupt it too badly. I wouldn't want to try it, though.
This is, of course, little more than an educated guess, since I never really got into aerodynamics in my studies.
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Namhias
Shining Dragonstar
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Posts: 1055
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| Posted: Mon 10 Mar 2008 17:00 Post subject: |
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| I think Albvan and Ragnarok pretty much answered the question. I haven't had aerodynamics yet in collage, but I think that a dragon can't fly with a hole in its wing. If a wing has a hole, that would mean that one wing produces more lift then the other, which in turn could cause the dragon to roll for example. |
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Solid
Dragonstar
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 969
Location: The other side of somewhere.
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| Posted: Fri 14 Mar 2008 13:11 Post subject: |
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| It depend also on how fast the dragon flies. If it is moving fast say around 100 to 140 Mph larger holes wont matter. Also if a dragon has holes in the back of the wing membrane the holes will work for the dragon giving it more turning speed. The WWII Corsair used this in it's wings. |
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gcdm
Dragonstar
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 221
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| Posted: Fri 14 Mar 2008 13:39 Post subject: |
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but can a dragon fly that fast?
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Solid
Dragonstar
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Fri 14 Mar 2008 13:44 Post subject: |
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| Yeah, certain birds can fly at 100mph with out having to dive. and a certain falcon can dive at 200mph. A dragons body could cause more drag but it has more power then a bird does. |
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DragonMancer
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Joined: 08 Feb 2008
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Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Fri 14 Mar 2008 13:45 Post subject: |
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Why not? A peragrin falcon (i don't know if that's how you spell it) can reach speeds of up to 60mph when in a dive. And a cheeta can also reach roughly the same speeds. So why shouldn't a dragon be able to reach speeds of over a 100mph.
I mean if it was built right, why not.
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