I believe I can fly

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY by Gary S. Gerrone I have a recurring dream where I can fly. I fly effortlessly … tirelessly. I can maneuver in ways that would make Superman and Peter Pan jealous. And before you diss on Peter Pan, the depictions of him flying are awesome! And think of this: Unlike Tinkerbell, he does it without wings … and he is of normal size and free of pixie dust! What is both weird and wonderful about "dream flying" is that, within the dream, it makes perfect sense. It makes so much sense that I sometimes can't wait to wake up to try it out. But once I wake, it makes no sense at all. It not only breaks all of the laws of physics, but it can't even be put into words or reasonable thought. Of course, upon waking and finding it all impossible, I wish to return to the land of sleep and fly again. As you know, that never happens. (I usually enter into a dream where everyone is moving fast, except for me, and I really need to find a restroom.) In the real world, the medium of our atmosphere and the tug of gravity makes free fight for humans impossible. Even today's Wingsuits only delay the downward plunge, and a parachute is needed to land safely. True flying for humans requires power, and since the time of the Wright Brothers, that power has only increased. I often wonder what Orville and Wilbur would have thought of the SR71 Blackbird or the Apollo moon missions? I, for one, have an immense jealousy of those creatures that can fly. Perhaps it is why I became a birder and naturalist. By watching and studying such creatures I know that I create a kinship that, at least, vicariously, allows me to fly. Certainly, birds lead the list of animals possessing powered flight. The relatively tiny meat and bone of their forearms is accentuated by feathers to create a large and light articulated wing that pushes air backward and the bird forward. An array of tail feathers completes the flight surfaces and provides control to their flight. Efficiently light bodies allow the wings of most birds to propel them along with ease. Flight is used to seek shelter and food and to migrate. Long excursions like migration are typically aided by favorable winds and rising air currents. For some birds, tailwinds and thermals provide well enough lift that the bird rarely must flap. Just watching a turkey vulture work the wind and rising air currents is a true ballet. And then there are hummingbirds. Their tiny wings beat at 50+ beats per second and can push air equally forward and backward. Thus, they can hover. I want to do this! Within the mammalian ranks, bats are the only flyers. Their flight abilities can turn their aerobatics into a meal of a flying insect -- one that was detected by their onboard sonar. Are today's fighter jets as well equipped? Other mammals, such as flying squirrels, don't technically fly, but if you have ever seen one in action you would not discount its airborne abilities. (It's equivalent to saying that Pluto isn't a planet.) Flying fish seem like something out of a dream, but some 50 related species lift out of tropical waters and zip over the waves. Someone, who obviously had little to do, measured their flights and found they can exceed 40 miles per hour and stay airborne to over a 1,000 feet. Seems a lot like flying to me. Some frogs have exaggerated webbing between their toes and can glide decent distances, and a few lizards can stretch out some flappy skin and do the same. I am picturing the expression of a predator when such a prey species escapes by simply gliding away. I am sure it is a "You're kidding, right?!" moment. Millions of different insects fly. Dragonflies cruise on wings that seem to barely move, and flies beat their wings into a buzz. Some beetles use their former forewings as a storage case for their flight wings, and moths and butterflies decorate their wings as if there was some sort of art competition. And then there is the case of the bumblebee. For centuries, scientists claimed that current knowledge of aerodynamics could not explain how they actually flew. In fact, some studies claimed that it was impossible for this stubby insect to fly. Within the last two decades however, the physics of their flight was solved. Or was it? Michael Dickinson, a professor of biology and an insect flight expert at the University of Washington, stated, "The whole question of how these little wings generate enough force to keep the insect in the air is resolved. There are details remaining, but it's just not an enigma anymore." It would be my contention that one of the details remaining just might be how they actually fly. Perhaps they do it like I fly in my dreams. Perhaps because they lack complex thoughts, they don't sweat the difference between dreams and reality. Perhaps they fly just because they believe they can. Just like reindeer. Merry Christmas!