| RefNo | EC/1998/15 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Ellington, Charles Porter: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1997 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Charles Ellington is responsible for much of our understanding of insect flight. His early analysis of the kinematics and aerodynamics of hovering showed that the flight of most insects cannot be explained by conventional (quasi-steady) aerodynamics. This made use of an entirely new theoretical framework, a vortex theory of insect flight. Next, he combined aerodynamic analysis with physiological measurements to show that in flight, insect wing muscles work with remarkably low efficiencies. To do this, he had to solve the formidable technical problem of measuring the oxygen consumption of a single bumblebee, in free flight over a range of speeds. Most recently, he has visualised the flow of air around the wings of moths and of a greatly enlarged model that mimics insect wing motion. This has led to the unexpected discovery of a spanwise stabilising flow, explaining the unsteady effect that makes insect flight possible. His achievements have been made possible by an exceptional combination of theoretical insight and technical ingenuity. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA299 | Ellington; Charles Porter (1952 - 2019) | 1952 - 2019 |