Tommy Cookers wrote: ↑25 Mar 2018, 21:23
a gravity-powered peregrine falcon can do quite well till the gravity motor stops after a few seconds
an F1 car can maintain 4.5 g centripetally at 160 mph for 45 mins
a PF cannot ever do this unless in gravity-powered mode (when the duration would be about 15 seconds)
gravity-powered that high-altitude Austrian skydiver went supersonic, a PF couldn't do that
planes (eg U-2, gliders, some drones) are better aerodynamically (evidenced their glide angle of over 50:1) than a PF
Actually T-C, the falcon is a high-speed flight hunting raptor, it adopts the form of a guided missile,
with wings folded in to operate as vestigial fin-control, rather than as a primary lift device.
U2's, gliders & the like are better compared with the albatross, while other seabirds which dive-bomb
into the briny, such as the gannet, are sort of 1/2 'n' 1/2, as far as chord/span ratio goes - per the falcon.
All human skydivers who have achieved 'supersonic' speed have only done so by wearing a full pressure suit,
& falling from well above the height of atmospheric density which normally causes enough drag to prevent
this.. in point of fact, a falcon so equipped, dropped from that altitude, could do the same..