Performance Analysis of Flapping Wings in Formation Flights

In this paper, we investigate the aerodynamic aspects of formation flights. We do so by simulating the flow over flapping wings flying in grouping arrangement and in proximity of each others using the unsteady vortex lattice method. The results show that flying in V-shaped line formation at optimal spacing enables significant increase in the lift and thrust and savings in the power consumption. This is mainly due to the interaction between the trailing birds and the previously-shed wake vorticity from the leading bird.