I've heard the story that the old 'bumble bees being not able to fly
but they don't know it' came about from a F  German research paper
published prior to WWII that used (fixed wind oops  wind  damn. WING)
aircraft mathematical analysis to 'prove' they could not fly, using
wing area, weight, etc.  But post WWII, the better understood maths
of helicopter type flight (with the ability to change the pitch of
the wings...) debundkied...   debunked the original paper.  Oh, well,
it makes a good sotory, one of those that never seems to die...
 
 
-----------------------------------
Nick Wallingford
Internet [log in to unmask]
-----------------------------------
Posted:
23 Apr 1993 7:51PM NZ time