Aerodynamic Modeling of a Flapping Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The phenomenon of flapping wing flight in nature has been studied for centuries. Recently, flapping flight for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications has become of interest. Flapping wing flight offers many potential advantages over traditional fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Fixed-wing UAVs have the advantages of long range and endurance, and high payload capabilities; however, they require high forward flight speeds and most configurations cannot hover, which makes them difficult to control in confined spaces.