Camacan
MOD
Since: Jan, 2001
Aug 19th 2011 at 9:36:41 PM
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Dropping the real life section to discussion. This trope is when a character that would be expected to use their wings in flight does not move them, usually as a stylistic choice. Real life airplanes aren't expected to flap. Real soaring birds are not equivalent to a fictional character like a fairy hanging in mid-air with stationary wings.
Real Life
- Truth in Television: For years, engineers working on powered flight thought that the wings on their aircraft had to flap (referred to as an "ornithopter"). It was the realization that they didn't that led to the successful invention of airplanes.
- This is somewhat true for many birds of prey. Powered flight requires a lot of energy, and hovering by flapping the wings is a lot of energy to go nowhere. Just look at the hummingbird, it has to eat a ton of sugar every day! Larger birds are capable of true hovering, but a lot of energy is saved by simply flying into a headwind. This does require slight shifts in the wings and tail, but the overall appearance is that the wings are motionless, especially when the bird is miles above the ground.
hayleychaotix
Hayleychaotix
Since: Mar, 2011
Hayleychaotix
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Should aversions be listed?
, started by storyyeller on Mar 22nd 2011 at 10:03:42 PM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman