Question

what fluid mechanics effect the flight of the albatross?

the albatross must build up speed before it can take off. what does the graceful flier require such an awkward start to get airborne?

Answer 1

The flight of Albatross is aerodynamics.

lbatrosses spend a lot of time gliding, and, over time, have evolved a number of adaptions to help them survive the southern oceans. An albatross can lock its wings in an outstretched position, meaning that a glide is almost as good as a rest. They have an enormous wing-span, clocking in at 3.5m, which gives them the highest lift-to-drag ratio of any bird. Their main adaption, however, is the way they fly, which is called dynamic soaring.

The idea is that the albatross enters a shallow dive with the wind at its back. This enables it to pick up speed both from the loss of altitude and the wind pushing it along. A few meters off the tops of the waves, it levels out and begins a long, curving, flat flight that is pretty much perpendicular to the wind. During this phase of the flight, the bird hunts for food. It benefits substantially from its very low drag because it can travel for quite a long distance before its speed drops too low.

Once the speed reaches a critical point, the albatross turns into the wind. The increased wind-speed over the wings provides increased lift, allowing it to gain height as it slowly loses speed. Interestingly enough, when considered from a stationary position on the ocean top, the albatross expends more energy on the flat part of the flight and expends almost nothing climbing back up to altitude—kinetic energy is converted into potential energy with an additional boost from the wind.