density of bird bones

[Jim Thomerson]

This is an interesting, and contrary to conventional wisdom.  Might be of some help in toy airplane design and construction.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322112103.htm

[Howard Rush]

I learned about hollow bird bones in school, but never thought to ask what is in the hollow part.  The inside of animals, based on my limited observation, is mostly wet stuff, so wouldn't hollow bones fill up with water?  That wouldn't be much of a weight advantage over bone, would it?  I looked for bone density on the Web, but all I could find was that cow metatarsal specific gravity is 1.44.  If birds could fill those hollow bones with a gas, they'd get a significant weight advantage. I could imagine how that might happen, because my personal body generates a lot of gas internally, which I normally just vent to the atmosphere.  I doubt if birds have gas confined in their bones, because that would cause them to blow up when cooked. 

[Jim Thomerson]

Here is more than you care to know about bird breathing, which is much more efficient than what mammals to. It looks like there is an air sac in the humerus. but not in the leg bones (?).
http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/RITCHISO/birdrespiration.html

[Brett Buck]

This is an interesting, and contrary to conventional wisdom.  Might be of some help in toy airplane design and construction.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322112103.htm

  " Maximizing stiffness and strength relative to weight are optimization strategies that are used in the design of strong and stiff but lightweight man-made airframes," she points out. "

  See, Sparky, even GOD agrees with me!

    Brett

[Air Ministry .]

This is different to Density of Bird Brains then .  (sorry chaps ).

We'd have to call the birds bone structure sophisticated,

Was it developed by a inner awareness aligned to a higher reality ?

Complex would also aply , also to the wingspars etc of the Me 323 Giant,

and the Zepplins / airships , where the appropriate word might be complex.

Who's for emulateing these ? Maybe replica's of Buckingham palace or suchlike from matchstics would be easier,

allowing for the accuracy of fit for consistant structural characteristics,However , such complexity would lend itself to patterns for composite

structure moulds , if it had repeated use applications .Tho if someone makes a blue with the release agent thered be a degree of angst in

retreaving the moulds.

The old man powered balsa wood contraptions , such as the one that flew the english channel, come to mind .

One would have to be cautious with computer assisted design though, least the whole thing spontainiously colapse at

Some point, like a Lotus 40 .