Praise Helix

Comments

• captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  The bird flies despite the spirals, not because of them.

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  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It’s sort of like those traits that handicap the bearer and so the better that aspect is, the more suitable a mate. Like peacock tail feathers.

    The swallow is spiraled for her pleasure.

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    • captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      No it’s more that physics is a fickle bitch.

      Those spirals are called tip vortices. They occur because there is relatively high pressure under the wing and relatively low pressure above. At the wing tip, that higher pressure air wants to roll up over the wing tip to get to that low pressure area, which is what sets that spiral in motion. Any airfoil that is creating lift will have a vortex at its tip. Wings, tail surfaces, propeller blades, rotor blades, you name it. The higher the angle of attack, the more significant the tip vortex.

      Have you ever seen a jet airplane that has fuel tanks out at the wing tips? Most of the reason they’re there is to reduce tip vortices and thus reduce drag. The additional fuel capacity is a minor byproduct. You might notice most newer airliners feature winglets; the wing tips are turned up. That’s not for additional yaw stabilty, those are there to reduce tip vortices, decrease drag and decrease fuel consumption.

      Tip vortices are the main factor in wake turbulence, which is an entire class session in flight school. All a tower controller will say to you is “caution wake turbulence.” And they’re right. It’s the pilot’s job to know what to do about it, because trailing behind and below the wing tip of every airplane is an invisible sideways tornado you just have to know is there so you don’t get thrown onto your Cessna’s roof when landing behind a Boeing.

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• Zuriz@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Image

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• SailorFuzz@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Spirals, you say?

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  • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    As a fan of both Gurren Lagann and Uzumaki I am deeply torn on this.

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  • verdare@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    This is truly the drill that will pierce the heavens.

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• TachyonTele@piefed.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Sure. It’s easy for government drones like this to use spirals…

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• psx_crab@lemmy.zip ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Air Bending obvs

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