We’re all familiar with birds that are as comfortable diving as they
are flying but only one family of fish has made the reverse journey.
Flying fish can remain airborne for over 40s, covering distances of up
to 400m at speeds of 70km/h. Haecheon Choi, a mechanical engineer from
Seoul National University, Korea, became fascinated by flying fish when
reading a science book to his children. Realising that flying fish
really do fly, he and his colleague, Hyungmin Park, decided to find out
how these unexpected fliers stay aloft and publish their discovery that
flying fish glide as well as birds on 10 September 2010 in The Journal of Experimental Biology at http://jeb.biologists.org.
But getting hold of flying fish to test in a wind tunnel turned out to be
easier said than done. After travelling to Japan to try to buy fish from
the world famous Tsukiji fish market, the duo eventually struck up a
collaboration with the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives of
Korea. Park went fishing in the East Korean Sea, successfully landing 40
darkedged-wing flying fish. Selecting five similarly sized fish, Park
took them to the Korean Research Centre of Maritime Animals, where they
were dried and stuffed, some with their fins extended (as in flight) and
one with its fins held back against the body, ready to test their
aerodynamics in the wind tunnel. Fitting 6-axis force sensors to the
fishs
wings and tilting the fish's body at angles ranging from degrees to 45
degrees, Park and Choi measured the forces on the flying fish’s fins and
body as they simulated flights.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Flying fish glide as well as birds | Science Blog
