According to Cornell University physicist Z. Jane Wang, computer simulations of insect flight may help aerodynamic engineers design tiny insect-like flying machines. The simulations could also dispel the myth that bumblebee flight violates the rules of aerodynamics. The notion that bumblebee flight is impossible according to the conventional rules of aerodynamics is a reflection of the poor understanding of aerodynamic principles in the early 20th century, said Wang, an assistant professor of theoretical and applied mechanics.
Insects fly in a sea of vortexes they create by moving their wings.
A vortex is a current of swirling air that moves against the main current of air. Wang has developed a new mathematical theory that explains how some insects can manipulate the flow of air around them, allowing them to switch from forward motion to a hovering position instantly. The study appears in the journal Physical Review Letters . Airplanes also create vortexes, but they are only minor nuisances that are left behind in a slipstream. Vortexes created by insects rapidly flapping their wings whip the air into a frenzy.