Large Birds Landing

[ttyo888]

Hi I wonder how do birds that have a huge wing land on a flat surface. Won't it crash and will having a pair of strong long legs help to brake?

 

How will a bird with a 8m wingspan land on land?

[insane_alien]

smae way as a bird with shorter wings.

 

they'll typically be going aboutthe same speed as smaller birds. also, they will be raised when landing.

[iNow]

I recall going skydiving. When we approached the ground, we "flared" the wing, and stalled the descent, slowing us down significantly right before our feet touched. I see no reason why a large bird could not do the same, especially consider me and that parachute were orders of magnitude larger than most "large" birds.

[Mr Skeptic]

They land just the same as they take off -- extremely awkwardly

[Glider]

I recall going skydiving. When we approached the ground, we "flared" the wing, and stalled the descent, slowing us down significantly right before our feet touched. I see no reason why a large bird could not do the same, especially consider me and that parachute were orders of magnitude larger than most "large" birds.

Parascenders do that too. Flaring in to land is essentially what all flying things do (even airoplanes), the exception being anything that lands vertically.

 

Anything that has foward speed when it lands flares, i.e. increases the attack pitch of its wing(s). This provides greater lift at slow speed and also reduces forward speed. The idea is to deliberatley stall at a safe distance from the ground.

 

In a stall, forward speed drops below the limit that can provide lift, whilst lift peaks at the maximum it can be at that speed, if you see what I mean. In other words, the increased pitch of the wing increases lift and reduces speed, and a stall is the point where these two values intersect (speed drops below that which can provide any lift). At that point, you should be close enough to the ground to just 'step down' out of it.

 

You can see this action in every flying thing, birds, bats, prascenders/skydivers and aircraft, even the space shuttle.