Articles

Dragon Flies: Marvelous Flying Machines

by Anonymous

Have you ever marvelled at the beauty and intricacy of dragonflies? The fossil record shows they were even more amazing in the past than they are today. Though virtually identical in structure to modem dragonflies, some actually had wingspans of 2-3 feet! Evidence of evolutionary change for these insects does not exist. The Denver Museum of Natural History had this amazing article on dragonfly flight tucked into its evolution exhibit! To us, it provides superb evidence of God's creative design, not evolution. See what you think:

"Other than shrinking in size, dragonflies haven't changed much over the last 295 million years. Yet their ancient design makes them better fliers than today's most sophisticated aircraft. These aerial acrobats are almost perfect flying machines.

"Dr. Marvin Luttges and others at the University of Colorado at Boulder spent years studying dragonfly flight. As part of their research, the scientists built this mechanical model. The model, which mimics the movements of a dragonfly's wings, was used in wind tunnel experiments.

"All things that fly must generate enough force -- or lift -- to become and remain airborne. Airplanes rely on a steady flow of air over their wings to create lift. Dragonflies create and use swirling, unsteady flows of air that are packed with energy. Dragonflies tap into this energy to give themselves phenomenal amounts of lift."

"Dragonfly wings don't just flap up and . down. The front and rear wings are out of sync, and the wings rotate and move forward with each stroke.

"The front wings create energetic swirls of air. The rear wings intercept the swirls and use their energy to create more lift. For an instant, a dragonfly can generate lift equal to fifteen to twenty times its own body weight!

"A dragonfly creates continuous lift of more than twice its weight. In contrast, a high performance aircraft can carry only 1.3 times its own weight."

"Once we find ways to harness the energy of unsteady flows (just as dragonflies do), we can create aircraft that are more maneuverable and agile, improve the performance of helicopter rotors, and make wind turbine blades that last longer. A pattern from the past can point the way to the future..."

Did time, chance, and evolution produce these tremendously complex flying machines? No way! God thought of flight first!

Alpha Omega Institute 1996 http://www.discovercreation.org/