flying.

(Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:26-27 (NKJV)

By the time man finally began to partially figure out the technicalities behind aviation, the science of flight had long since been perfected in the animal kingdom, the most obvious instance being birds. We will often think ourselves so clever, as we hop from continent to continent in a matter of hours, but this process was made possible not with innovation that was thought up by Boeing or Airbus. The real “technology” was initiated into reality by the mind of a slightly more sovereign engineer.

Let’s talk about internal framework. Should members of the avian family have been created with a more bulky bone structure, science shows that they would have a hard time flying in any sort of efficient manner, that is if they could even fly at all. In designing birds, it was evident that weight reduction would be necessary, and we can see the effects of this executive decision in the lightweight, hollow bones that mark members of the flying kingdom. Other weight-reducing aspects include the replacement of teeth with a gizzard; less joints; and a lightweight beak instead of a heavier jawbone (Markle.)

Once weight was reduced, it was time to move onto the logistics of actually allowing a living creature to change it’s position in altitude and geography floating on nothing more than air. Bird’s wings were created in the shape of an airfoil, which basically means that the leading edge and top of the wing are curved, while the bottom surface of the wing is relatively flat. Because of this, when a bird’s wing moves through the air, the air going over the top of wing must move faster than the air traveling beneath the wing. This creates lift, which allows the bird to fly in an upward direction from its original location.

There are certainly other factors and variables contributing to the flight efficiency of birds and other members of the animal kingdom that make use of such technology, but these are some of the basic keys to flight - the fruits of which we often see in the technology we use to move from place to place. As aircraft manufacturers continue to battle it out over who can produce the most efficient, appealing, and luxurious aero-liners, it would not be surprising to see that more innovation has yet to be discovered in the deeper technicalities of the structures and processes found in flying creatures. This does not go to say that we need to consider replacing the jawbones of our 767’s with lightweight beaks, but certainly the innovation that is visible in this area of the animal kingdom should provoke our thinking. Does innovation come from the heart of man, or has it already been copy written by the mind of Divinity?

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10: 29-31 (NKJV)

Source:
(Markle, Sandra. Outside and Inside Birds. 8-11, 23. Maxwell Macmillan. 1994.)