[gurps] Dragon Aerodynamics

[Anthony Jackson]

midnightwind at comcast.net wrote:
> Here's irony-- I just finished the linear kinetics chapter of the
> human biomechanics textbook I am reading-- and it included the
> equations you used for lift and drag (more as digressions on the
> section on air resistance vis-a-vis athletic competition such as
> running, swimming, skiing...)... it's actually on the order of 10+%
> that those body suits can reduce the drag effects of air for runners
> et. al..  I used to swim competitively, and we used to shave (don't
> even think it....) I guess it wasn't all psychological, after all.
> Might be interesting to think about streamlining effects on
> dragons... especially sea dragons...  And if sea dragons had wings...
> would all your stats be different, and/or would the dragon have the
> capability of both air and sea "flight"?

Underwater streamlining is appreciably different from aerodynamic 
streamlining, though there are a lot of common features (such as 
elimination of rough spots). The other problem is that water is 800 
times as dense as air, so wings capable of developing useful lift in air 
are pretty much incapable of moving underwater.

Still, dragons could use the same trick birds use and fold their wings 
while using either legs or tail to propel themselves. The other problem 
for dragons (which is also shared with birds) is that the dragons I 
wound up statting are substantially lighter than water and thus will 
have a great deal of trouble submerging.