Meeting Abstract

55.3  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Kinematics and control in free-flying hoverflies WALKER, S.M.**; THOMAS, A.L.R.; TAYLOR, G.K.; Oxford University; Oxford University; Oxford University simon.walker@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Hoverflies show exquisite manoeuvrability while flying, yet we are still some way off from understanding how this level of control is achieved. Recently, we have found evidence that an accessory flight surface, known as the alula, plays an important role in hoverfly flight control. The alula is a small flap near the base of the wing and can operate in two discrete states, either in plane with the wing or flipped approximately normal to it. High-speed digital video cameras were used to film hoverflies in a range of free-flight manoeuvres. We applied photogrammetric techniques to make automatic measurements of wing deformations in a free-flying insect and allowed us to measure the body and wing kinematics of over 400 wingbeats from six individuals. In this talk we will describe how the kinematics of the body are controlled by changes in the wing kinematics, playing particular attention to the previously unrecognised role of the alula.