http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/flight http://io9.com/tag/flight

The flying machine featured here is called an ornithopter, and its conceptual origins date back at least as far as the late 15th century, when Leonardo Da Vinci first produced drawings of a bird-like machine capable of flight. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5880066&view=rss&microfeed=true

This slow-motion footage of a dove in flight is certainly worth watching for its artistic and technical merit (be sure to bump the resolution up to 720p), but it's also a great opportunity to understand some of the science behind the bird's aerial abilities. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5877533&view=rss&microfeed=true

Bats are the only mammals that can technically fly, but a lot of other creatures do a pretty good impression of flight by gliding down from the tops of tall trees. But there's a problem: this behavior makes no sense. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5825753&view=rss&microfeed=true

It might not be immediately obvious just how birds could evolve something as complex as the wings needed for flight. But that's just it: flight was basically incidental to the real adaptation. The secret is a little something called flap-running. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5816545&view=rss&microfeed=true

We all know that superheroes like Superman or Thor are completely impossible. But just for the sake of argument, are there any superpowers that could actually exist in the real world? We assembled a panel of experts to find out. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5811568&view=rss&microfeed=true

We know that birds evolved from dinosaurs around 150 million years ago, but we still don't know how birds first gained the ability to fly. But a part of the bird brain that controls flight could solve this evolutionary riddle. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5721623&view=rss&microfeed=true

SpaceShipTwo, a Virgin Galactic plane, may be ready to make regular commercial flights to space within twelve months. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5702899&view=rss&microfeed=true

While you slept off your Thanksgiving dinner, the people over at Utah Aerials decided to engineer a turkey quadricopter. As an added challenge, they made it strong enough to carry and drop pies on the people below. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5700809&view=rss&microfeed=true

The scientific community has debated whether or not pterosaurs could fly for years. A new theory suggests that these winged creatures may have pole vaulted on their own wings to get airborne. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5690837&view=rss&microfeed=true

Parachutes are designed to create as much drag as possible. So why do parachutes have holes in them? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5612765&view=rss&microfeed=true

Japanese researchers have built an artificial butterfly that mimics the unusual flight patterns of the swallowtail butterfly. Their tiny model is called an "ornithopter" - and we've got the video of the little guy in flight. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5543251&view=rss&microfeed=true

If there was ever a contest for "most perfect new comic for io9 readers," Jonathan Hickman and JM Ringuet may have come up with a winner with their new series Transhuman. Add in a new anthology of SF and fantasy for kids, some collections of classic and... well, less than classic material and a new comic based on Peter David's Star Trek: New Frontier series of novels, and this Wednesday may be the day that you have to give all your money to the comic man. Find out more after the jump. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=371673&view=rss&microfeed=true

One of the films at Sundance that flew under the radar this year was jetpack fantasy Pretty Bird, based on the book The Rocketbelt Caper. The film is billed as a comedy, but the real story is both weird and disturbing — more of a comedy of errors. It explores the story of an engineer who built a rocket belt that can fly you around like the Rocketeer, and who was subsequently kidnapped and tortured by his angel investor. But the really crazy part? The belt prop actually worked. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=349481&view=rss&microfeed=true

Aeros, a company that specializes in lighter-than-air blimps, is set to market the first modern-day zeppelin to the consumer market. They're selling the combination blimp/jet, the "Aeroscraft," as a luxury airliner that can take off and land vertically — thus eliminating the need for airports. Plus, they can hover! And they can go a speedy 222 kilometers per hour. Aeroscraft ML866 [Dezeen] More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=332729&view=rss&microfeed=true