Westland Whirlwind Biomimicry

Hovering

To produce enough power to move, animals consume food, and aircraft use aviation fuel. Hovering is the most power-hungry form of flight.

Hummingbirds have a specialised diet made from a mixture of sugars found in floral nectar. This high calorie food gives them the energy needed to beat their wings between 20 and 80 times per second. Hummingbirds move their wings in a figure of 8 motion. Each wing beat pushes air downwards, allowing them to hover.

Helicopters hover by pushing air downwards with their rotor blades and, like the hummingbird’s wings, their spinning rotor blades move very fast. Helicopters use more fuel when hovering than they do when flying forwards.