How Airplanes Have Forsaken Their Inspirators

A sketch of Leonardo da Vinci’s Ornithopter.

Airplanes have proved to be some of the most influential inventions of the 20th century. They sustain economic growth through the rapid facilitation of trade and tourism as well as provide the overall ability to travel long distances in a shorter amount of time. Yet, it is probable airplanes would have never been invented if it weren’t for birds. Airplanes and other forms of aircraft are based heavily on the wing anatomy of avian creatures—process inventors utilize called biomimicry. Despite birds being priceless to technological innovation, we have not reciprocated their helpfulness. Instead, our expansion into the skies threatens birds with adverse physiological responses, breeding disruption, and collision based injury and death.

The development of mechanical flight is inextricably linked to the observation of avian anatomy. Many of us are familiar with Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who are credited with inventing the world’s first successful biplane. What many schools leave out of the curriculum, though, is the Wright Brothers’ utilization of biomimicry. They spent countless hours observing birds—their maneuvers, the angle of their wings, and how they adjusted to shifting wind currents to maintain stability. However, this reliance on avian physiology did not begin with the Wrights; they simply built upon a global pursuit of flight that spanned over a millennium.

In 875 CE, Islamic scholar Abbas Ibn Firnas became the first human to fly. He constructed a pair of wings made of wood, eagle feathers, and silk and successfully glided from a mountain in Cordoba, Spain. Unfortunately, Firnas suffered disappointment and severe injuries because his design lacked a tail structure for steering and landing. Five centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci conducted anatomical dissections of birds to draft a blueprint for mechanical wings called ornithopters, similar in concept to those of Firnas. The 19th century was characterized by various contributions to the progress of aviation, including George Cayley’s curved airfoil designs based on the cross section of a bird’s wing, and Otto Lilienthal’s manned gliders that replicated the soaring flight of large storks. The Wright Brothers synthesized centuries of trial and error to develop the mechanics necessary for the planes we use today.

Although these innovators harbored imaginations more expansive than most, they couldn’t have envisioned the steep costs avian mechanics would have on the world. Modern aviation heavily degrades our environment and harms the animals that made it possible. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “...two thirds of the impact from aviation is attributed to contrails, NOx, water vapor, sulfate aerosol gases, [and] soot.” The remainder of aviation’s effects is the warming of our atmosphere due to trapped carbon dioxide emissions.  The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that in 2023, aviation derived CO2 emissions reached 950 million tonnes, 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. The effects of carbon dioxide aren’t limited to global warming. Rather, CO2 can also cause increased hurricane intensity, ocean acidification, and sea level rise. 

Furthermore, breathing in the soot and nitrogen oxides emitted by jet engines directly damages human health. Particulate matter penetrates deep into the respiratory tract and enters the bloodstream, causing chronic inflammation that leads to strokes, ischemic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while ground-level ozone from NOx triggers severe asthma attacks and premature respiratory deaths. 

Humans aren’t the only organisms that suffer from these environmental hazards. In fact, birds are affected more severely since they have a higher breathing rate and live in the open air. The National Audubon Society explains exposure to ground level ozone and NOx cause irreversible damage to birds’ lungs. Inflammation, ruptured blood vessels, and lung failure aren’t uncommon in avian populations who inhabit heavily polluted cities. The Audubon Society also noted that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (found in jet-fuel exhaust) may cause reduced egg production and red blood cell count. 

The similarity in airflow over a bird wing and a plane wing.

The physical presence and noise of aircraft also induce severe biological stress and trauma in birds. Researchers from the Helgoland Ornithological Observatory in Germany found that the heart rate of birds may show a fifteen-fold increase when planes are present. Prolonged high heart rates in animals prevents the heart’s chambers from filling with blood, lowering oxygen delivery to vital organs. If not treated, it results in heart failure. Chronic elevated stress levels also suppress the avian immune system, leaving birds vulnerable to infection and stunted growth. Additionally,  they found that the food intake of geese can be reduced up to 51% if they are disturbed. According to biologists Norbert Kempf and Ommo Huppop, Brent geese are frightened by aircraft or people every 30 minutes and have to spend 30% more time feeding. The widespread use of aircraft directly impacts the physiology of birds, greatly reducing their quality of life. 

The most direct intersection between aviation and avian life is the bird strike, with the vast majority of collisions occurring during the takeoff and landing phases. Data compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) shows birds accounted for 97% of 142,000 reported wildlife strikes between 1990 and 2013. The high velocity of aircraft makes it impossible for birds to quickly execute maneuvers to avoid them, resulting in immediate mortality. Although bird strikes are a saddening result of technological progress, it is fortunate that the number of birds lost is small compared to their overall populations. Fortunately, the FWS coordinates with aviation committees and airport authorities to deploy preventative measures like migratory mapping and habitat manipulation to steer birds away from flight paths to prevent these tragic encounters.

Airplanes are invaluable to human civilization. However, our reliance on this technology highlights a selfishness that extends far beyond what the eye observes. In a modern wave of manifest destiny, we have reshaped the stratosphere to suit our needs, showing little regard for the health and safety of the creatures which influenced one of our most meticulous forms of transportation. Moving forward, the aviation industry should adopt methods to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Expanding the use of avian radar systems and clean propulsion systems are necessary steps to balance human mobility with ecological preservation.