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- Can you make a list of all the science you think that takes place outside in your local environment?

From your list can you classify your ideas into different types of science:
* Biodiversity
* Energy Sources and Sustainability
* Processes of the planet
* Biological Systems
* Forces, electricity and Waves
* Materials
* Topical

Are there any cross overs? Create a mind map/diagram to show your thinking.

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Peregrine Falcon Hunts Starlings in Rome (Narrated by David Tennant) - Earthflight - BBC One

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News Science

'Birds must have been under strong evolutionary pressure to establish basic rules and strategies to minimise the risk of collision in advance'

Scientists may have discovered why birds never seem to crash into one another - they appear to always veer to the right.

Just like cars drive on the right of the road in France or the US to avoid collisions, budgerigars were found to turn the same way when they find they are on a collision course.

Discovering the "basic rules" of safe flying that have evolved in birds over millions of years could help program drones to avoid collisions as the skies become more crowded.

Read more

Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, of Queensland University in Australia, who led the research, said: "Birds must have been under strong evolutionary pressure to establish basic rules and strategies to minimise the risk of collision in advance.

"But no previous studies have ever examined what happens when two birds fly towards each other.

"Our modelling has shown that birds always veer right - and sometimes they change their altitude as well, according to some pre-set preference.

"As air traffic becomes increasing busy, there is a pressing need for robust automatic systems for manned and unmanned aircraft, so there are real lessons to be learned from nature."

In pictures: Starling murmurations in Britain
Show all 10

1/10 In pictures: Starling murmurations in Britain

Two budgies were released at opposite ends of a tunnel and their flight path was filmed by a high-speed camera.

In more than 100 flights by 10 different birds, there was not a single crash.

"Another finding was that birds would rarely fly at the same height, and this raises the question of whether individual birds have a specific preference for flying higher or lower," Professor Srinivasan said.

"It might be that their position in the group hierarchy determines their flight height. This is a question for further research.

"While we can't say how birds solve the problem of switching to different altitudes, we can propose some simple strategies for autopilot systems and unmanned aerials vehicles to prevent head-on collisions."

More about

1/1 Revealed: Why birds never collide in mid-air

Revealed: Why birds never collide in mid-air

The Flyway Code: How birds avoid crashing into each other in mid-air

'Birds must have been under strong evolutionary pressure to establish basic rules and strategies to minimise the risk of collision in advance'

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News Science 'Birds must have been under strong evolutionary pressure to establish basic rules and strategies to minimise the risk of collision in advance' Scientists may have discovered why birds never seem to crash into one another - they appear to always veer to the right.

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This winter I've been watching the many interesting species of birds that use the Pacific Flyway to make their seasonal migration. In fact, it's been shocking to see the huge diversity of species that pass through. It got me thinking about just how far some species are willing to fly each and every year. We know that many species of birds make amazing long-distance migrations, but for some species, the mileage they travel every year is staggering. In fact, the record-holder flies the equivalent of three trips to the moon and back over the span of its lifetime. Check out the six longest migrations of birds on the following pages; plus, find out which unexpected species made the world's longest non-stop flight.

Pied Wheatear (11,184 miles)

You don't have to be big to travel far, as the Pied Wheatear proves. This small insect-eating bird travels from the extreme southeast of Europe to China, wintering in India and northeastern Africa. Moving from breeding grounds to wintering grounds and back means one bird may travel more than 11,000 miles in a year.

Longest Nonstop Flight Ever Recorded: Bar-tailed Godwit (7,145 miles)

Many species travel amazing distances over the course of a season, but what about in a single flight? The longest nonstop flight for a bird ever recorded was taken by a Bar-tailed Godwit, a migrating wader bird. This bird flew 7,145 miles from Alaska to New Zealand in nine days, without ever once stopping for food, water or to rest. Talk about endurance! While the species makes an annual migration from Alaska to New Zealand and back, researchers had no idea that they could make such long flights without stopping. In an article on National Geographic, Phil Battley of New Zealand's Massey University, who took part in the study tracking this species, states: "The prospect of a bird flying all the way across the Pacific was so much further than what we thought possible, it seemed ludicrous." Here is what their migration route looks like according to satellite tagging by researchers.

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Nature Blows My Mind! The 6 Longest Bird Migrations

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This winter I've been watching the many interesting species of birds that use the Pacific Flyway to make their seasonal migration. In fact, it's been shocking to see the huge diversity of species that pass through. It got me thinking about just how far some species are willing to fly each and every year.

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At PrivateFly we're passionate about aircraft design - both past, present and future.

Nature plays just as much a part in this, as science. Early aviation pioneers studied birds and bats - which were already highly-evolved at taking flight - to work out how to emulate them. And still today, our industry continues to be inspired by the animal world.

Aircraft with beating wings

The goal of all aviation engineers is to make flight more efficient - so their aircraft can fly further, faster and use less fuel in the process.

A few years ago, NASA partnered with Flexsys and Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a revolutionary wing, with a 'flapping' motion, inspired by the wing movements of birds.

The highly-flexible design could go through a full range of positions and angles during a flight, in the same way as a bird's wing. NASA says the innovative wing is designed to increase fuel efficiency and noise on take-off and landing.

Flexys has continued to invest in other shape-adaptive and shape-morphing technology, for aerospace and other industries.

The Sky Whale by Oscar Viñals

The AWWA 'Sky Whale' is an enormous passenger aircraft concept, by Spanish designer and aviation enthusiast Oscar Viñals - with its shape inspired by the largest mammal on earth.

Three storeys high, with 755 seats and a wingspan of 88m (compared to 80m for an Airbus A380). Oscar Viñals claims the design is the 'greenest aircraft imaginable', incorporating environmentally-friendly technical solutions, to reduce drag, weight and fuel consumption.

The design also features advanced safety features, self-repairing wings and solar panels in the roof to charge onboard electronics.

Despite its size, the AWWA Sky Whale would have rotatable engines that can tilt like a Harrier jump jet, enabling a near vertical take-off on shorter runways.

Some doubt the design could translate into reality. Aircraft MIT professor Mark Drela believes the Sky Whale would be too big to be able to fly.

But Oscar Viñals was not deterred and went on to develop another nature-inspired aircraft concept: The Progress Eagle. This design features ultra-lightweight materials and uses solar energy and turbines to generate electricity during flight.

Flying spies: The Bat & Swift

Smaller flying animals have inspired engineers to create small, unmanned monitoring devices, with cameras that scan the ground and the sky - just as birds do when hunting for prey.

RoboSwift is inspired by the Swift. The small bird can fold its wings back to control its speed and its stability in the air.

The device has three cameras, one facing the ground. The cameras can be used to observe swifts in their natural environment and the images can be connected to virtual reality helmets.

COM-BAT, which has a design inspired by a bat, flies on solar energy and has a camera on the front. More discreet than a conventional drone or UAV, its mission is to gather information for the US Army.

Animal-inspired ground transport

Animals have not only inspired aircraft design, but ground transport too.

Japan is well known for the efficiency of its trains. The Shinkansen is the high speed train system, and its 700 series design was directly inspired by the Kingfisher.

Japanese trains can reach 322 km/h. This high speed is a problem at tunnel exits where the compressed air pressure causes a big 'boom'. To address this problem, engineers looked to the technique of Kingfisher, which can dive at high speed into water, yet emerge with no splash.

By equipping their trains with a beak-shaped nose, similar to the Kingfisher's, the researchers were able to alter the air pressure at the exit of the tunnels, and reduce noise.

Also on the ground, the McLaren P1 is an example of a car whose design is inspired by a large sea fish: The sailfish. The turbo swordfish can accelerate very rapidly over short distances, with its scales and skin designed to optimise speed and reduce drag. The designers closely observed the characteristics of the fish to increase the aerodynamics of the P1.

A stuffed sailfish now takes pride of place on the wall of the McLaren research offices.
For more aviation inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Or for private jet charter advice or pricing, contact our flight experts (24 hours) on 020 7100 6960.

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At PrivateFly we're passionate about aircraft design - both past, present and future. Nature plays just as much a part in this, as science. Early aviation pioneers studied birds and bats - which were already highly-evolved at taking flight - to work out how to emulate them.

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Introduction: DIY Glider

Welcome Aboard!
Before we can take off, we first need to learn how an aeroplane works. To learn how a plane flies, head over to Airbus Discovery Space where you can find lots of useful videos on the science of flight. Once you've understood the basics, we can then start to build our own glider using basic materials. Let's see how far your glider can fly!
To create your own glider, you will need the following items:

Cardboard - 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm.

Double Sided Tape

Sticky Tape

A Printer & Laptop/Computer

A4 White Paper

Safety Knife

Scissors

Safety Cutting Mat

Metal Ruler

Pencil/Pen

Elastic Band

That's all you need to start designing and building your own glider!

Step 1: Print the Template

Step 2: Choosing the Right Template

Instructions:

1. Depending on the thickness of your card, select the right glider template.

2. Use a pair of scissors to cut the template you require.

3. Again, depending on the thickness of your card. Apply double sided tape to the paper template. (If you have printed in card please move onto step 4)

4. Stick the template to the corrugated card using the double sided tape.

Step 3: Cut Out the Glider

Instructions:
Step 4 - Cut out the Glider

Step 4: Cut Out the Wing Slots

Step 5: Slot the Wings Into the Main Body

Step 6: Securing the Wings

Step 7: Test Flight!

Step 8: Make Iterations

Instructions:

1. Now you've flown your glider, it's time to starting making it better.

2. Using the template, try drawing your own glider design to build.

3. Try analysing which parts need improving.

4. For helpful hints and tips, try going to the Airbus Discovery Space Website to learn how planes fly. Design and build your own glider and test it against the example, did it fly further? Try making it wider or more streamline, or add small details like flaps.

Step 9: Further Developments

Once you've mastered your own DIY Glider design, why not try taking it to the next level using free Autodesk CAD software.

If you'd like to learn how to create your glider using Autodesk Tinkercad and Fusion 360, click the links below:
Autodesk Tinkercad Autodesk Fusion 360
We hope you have enjoy this tutorial on how to make your own glider, make sure to keep designing, developing and making new iterations. But most importantly, happy gliding!

1 Person Made This Project!

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DIY Glider : Welcome Aboard!Before we can take off, we first need to learn how an aeroplane works. To learn how a plane flies, head over to Airbus Discovery Space where you can find lots of useful videos on the science of flight. Once you've understood the bas...