New and improved scientific model for understanding insect flight

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From Science magazine vis MSNBC - A new theory for how they’re able to turn so quickly

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THIS RESEARCH, appearing in the April 18 issue of the journal Science published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, flies in the face of a long-held hypothesis and suggests that the inertia of the fly’s body as it turns, not friction, is the most critical factor that the aerodynamic force generated by the wings must overcome…

INERTIA, NOT FRICTION
A rotational version of inertia, that force that makes you fall forward when the subway car you’re riding stops short, dominates fruit fly flight according to this new study. This is a departure from the long-held idea that the friction between the air and the fly is the primary force at work. The results for the fruit flies hold true for many other flying insects that also must exert a force to start turning and then exert a counter force to stop turning.
Dickinson was amazed that the differences in forces required to start and stop the turns were so subtle and that the flies could control the forces responsible for the turns at such a fine scale. “Once we understood what the wings were doing, it made so much sense,” said Dickinson.

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