Resources and Links

[LegendLength]

General Information

• Overview - Wikipedia
  
• How Ornithopters Fly - Horst Räbiger
  
• Flapping Flight Blog - Sean Kinkade
  
• Ultra Capacitors - John M. Miller
  
• Electric Flight Blog - Johan
  
• Electric Motors and Generators - Joe Wolfe, George Hatsidimitris
  
• Boyancy - Donald Simanek
  
• Electric Paramotor Home - Jeff Goin
  

Technical Information and Research

• Unsteady Aerodynamics - Flapping-Wing Propulsion - Dr Kevin D. Jones
  
• Unsteady Aerodynamic Force Generation - Mao Sun, Jian Tang
  
• Power Curves of Flying Birds - Jeremy M.V. Rayner, Sally Ward
  
• Lithium Battery Sales - Donald Saxman, for USA 2001 to 2009
  
• Modelling Flapping Flight - Professor Jeremy Rayner
  
• Aero Experiments - Steve Seibel
  
• A Guide to Making Large Lithium-Polymer Battery Packs - Dave Baggaley, Steve DeLisle
  
• Non Planar Wings - A. Filippone
  
• Aerofoils and Wings - John Brandon
  
• Airfoils and Airflow - jsd
  
• Calculations on Soaring Sink - Taras K
  

Prototypes

• Project Ornithopter - University of Toronto
  
• Nightingale - Patricia Jones-Bowman
  
• George Fraisé Ornithopter - George Fraisé
  
• Karura - Kazuho Kawai
  
• Ornicopter - Aero Creations
  
• A Human Powered Wing - Denis V. Curry
  

Discussion Forums

• The Ornithopter Zone - Manned and R/C ornithopters
  
• Ornithopter Research Group - Manned ornithopters
  
• RC Groups - R/C ornithopters
  
• rec.aviation.homebuilt - General aircraft construction
  
• FlapNFly - Manned and R/C ornithopters
  
• Wattflyer - R/C electric model aircraft
  
• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - Full scale construction techniques and advice
  

Motors

• Predator 30 - Electric brushless outrunner, 11 kW, 3.4 lb (1.5 kg), $800
  
• LinMot ^pdf - Electric linear servo, 580 N (130 lb of force), 3 ft (1 m) stroke, 20 lb (9 kg)
  
• Ultralight Gasoline Motors - A table comparing the different properties of 26 production motors.
  
• Limited Angle Torque Motors
  

Batteries

• Everspring Lithium Ion Power - 150 Wh per kg, $52 / lb ($115 / kg)
  

Materials

• Carbon Fiber Rods from Air Dynamics - $74 / lb (164 / kg)
  
• Carbon Fiber Rods from Flapping Flight - $32 for 0.4 in (0.01 m) x 48 in (1.22 m)
  
• Kevlar Tape - $26 for 30 ft (2 inches wide 0.012 inches thick)
  
• Dacron Sailcloth - $15 / square foot ($161 / square meter)
  

R/C Vendors

• Flapping Flight
  
  • Slow Hawk 2 - 15 oz (425 g), $269
    
  • Sky Bird 2 - $599
    
  
  
• The Ornithopter Zone
  
  • Cybird - 7 oz (20 g), 10 minutes of flight time, $140
    
  
  
• Gyroscope
  
  • Radio Controlled Ornithopter - 8 oz (225 g), 10 minutes of flight time, $162
    
  
  

Previous Attempts

• Da Vinci Sketches - 1485
  
• Meerwin Ornithopter - 1781
  
• Frost Ornithopter - 1904
  
• Gray Goose - 1923
  
• Project Ornithopter ^pdf - 2006 (video ^flash)
  

Other Prototypes

• EV8 R/C Ornithopter - 8 lb (3.6 kg), 9 ft (2.8 m) wing span
  
• Electric Paraglider - 17 hp (12 kW), 50 lb (22 kg) without pilot and chute
  
• Antares - Battery powered manned glider, 10000 ft (3000 m) climb per recharge, maximum of 1500 battery cycles
  
• Tesla - Electric car, around $200 K, 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, 250 miles (400 km) per charge, due for release in 2007. This Q&A is an interesting read.
  
• PML Mini QED - Electric Mini from PML. 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, 150 mph max speed, 250 miles per charge.
  
• Wing Suit ^flash - BASE Jumping suit with wings sewn into the sides.
  

Videos and Software

• Flight attempt ^flash - 1920, 8 second clip
  
• Historical Photos - The Florida Memory Project, 8 images
  
• Flapping Flight models ^{quicktime, avi} - 4 videos
  
• Parachute testing ^m1v - 5 videos
  
• Human Powered Aircraft ^quicktime - 4 videos
  
• Ornithopter Flight Simulator - Uses FlightGear which is freely available. More aircraft types are available including Hang Gliders and Paragliders.
  
• Hang Gliding combined with Alpline Skiing ^wmv - 25 second clip
  

_{* All prices are indications only and are in USD}