How does a motorbike's aerodynamics change with changing crosswind? And what happens in extreme crosswinds? That's what we're covering in this podcast episode.Learn CFD / Aerodynamics✅ OpenFOAM Courses: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/✅ Automotive Aerodynamics Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/✅ RC Airplane Design & Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/Work with me🚗 Car CFD Simulation Commissions: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/Community💬 Free Discord (CFD + aero discussion): https://discord.gg/QajxVpmYMQ📄 Paper link (open access):https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/19942060.2015.1071524?needAccess=true,A numerical investigation of the flow around a motorbike when subjected to crosswinds, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19942060.2015.1071524, licensed under: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/👍 If this helped, please like, subscribe, and share—weekly research breakdowns + aero simulations.#motorcycle #aerodynamics #cfd

Fixed-wing aircraft aren’t supposed to turn like this.

So how do birds pull off insanely tight turns—and can planes do the same?

In this video, we break down a recent aerodynamics paper that shows how bird-inspired morphing wings and tails dramatically increase turning performance in fixed-wing aircraft. Using wind-tunnel experiments and real flight data, the researchers reveal why changing shape matters more than just adding control authority.

We’ll cover:

Why conventional planes struggle to turn tightly

How birds use wing morphing + tail control to stay agile

What the experiments actually measured (and what surprised the researchers)What this means for drones, UAVs, and future aircraft designs

If you’re into aerodynamics, CFD, flight mechanics, drones, or biomimicry, this one’s for you.Learn CFD / Aerodynamics✅ OpenFOAM Courses: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/✅ Automotive Aerodynamics Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/✅ RC Airplane Design & Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/Work with me🚗 Car CFD Simulation Commissions: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/Community💬 Free Discord (CFD + aero discussion): https://discord.gg/QajxVpmYMQ📄 Paper link (open access):https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44172-022-00035-2?fromPaywallRec=false, Sharp turning maneuvers with avian-inspired wing and tail morphing, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-022-00035-2, licensed under: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Can a “whale-inspired” wavy leading edge actually make a track bike fork faster?In this episode of Premier Aerodynamics, we break down a new CFD paper that tests tubercle-style waviness on a fork-like element—and explains the physics behind any drag change (vortex shedding, wake structure, and unsteady forces).✅ What you’ll learn in this breakdown:• What “tubercles” / wavy leading edges are (and why they’re used in aero)• What the paper modeled for indoor track cycling conditions• What changes in the wake when the leading edge becomes wavy• Why simulation fidelity matters (RANS vs LES) and what each can miss• What “a few percent” means in real marginal-gains terms—and what it doesn’t meanLearn CFD / Aerodynamics✅ OpenFOAM Courses: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/✅ Automotive Aerodynamics Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/✅ RC Airplane Design & Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/Work with me🚗 Car CFD Simulation Commissions: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/Community💬 Free Discord (CFD + aero discussion): https://discord.gg/QajxVpmYMQ📄 Paper link (open access):https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pamm.202400178, Numerical investigation of drag reduction effects on a track bicycle fork using wings with a wavy leading edge, licensed under: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⏱️ Chapters:00:00 The “wavy edge” idea (and why it might work)02:20 What the study tested03:30 CFD approach16:30 Key results: drag + force fluctuations20:00 What this means for real bikes (and limitations)💬 Question for you:If you could redesign ONE bike component for aero gains (fork, bars, wheels, helmet), which would you pick—and why?👍 If this helped, please like, subscribe, and share—weekly research breakdowns + aero simulations.#TrackCycling #CyclingAero #CFD #Aerodynamics #VortexShedding #MarginalGains

Asymmetric Vortex Breakdown Over A Triple Delta Wing | Mach 0.85 Sideslip Aerodynamics

This episode explains asymmetric vortex breakdown on a triple-delta wing at transonic speed (Mach 0.85) with a 5° sideslip angle.

Using results from a high-fidelity CFD study (including pressure coefficient maps and vortex visualizations), we show how sideslip creates windward/leeward differences, how vortex merging changes with angle of attack, and why breakdown can happen earlier on one wing — with real implications for stability and pitching/rolling moments.

📄 Research paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13272-022-00571-9?fromPaywallRec=false, Investigation of transonic aerodynamics on a triple-delta wing in side slip conditions, licensed under creative commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Learn CFD / Aerodynamics

OpenFOAM Courses: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/

Automotive Aerodynamics Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/

RC Airplane Design & Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/

Work with me

🚗 Car CFD Simulation Commissions: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/Community

💬 Free Discord (CFD + aero discussion): https://discord.gg/QajxVpmYMQ

MotoGP winglets look like “just fins”… until you see the numbers.

In this episode we break down a CFD research paper on motorcycle aerodynamic wing kits and answer the real questions: how winglets generate downforce, what they cost in drag, what configuration performs best in simulation, and why the rulebook forces designers into a compromise.

You’ll see the key results (including the ~+360% downforce headline in the study’s setup), the performance-vs-legality trade-off, and what this means for MotoGP-style aero — and for the winglet kits sold to everyday riders.

🎓 Learn more (if you want to go deeper)🔹 RC Airplane Design CoursePropellers, airfoils, performance trade-offs, and aircraft-level design👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/🔹 Learn OpenFOAM for Aerodynamics & CFDFrom meshing and validation to interpreting results correctly👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/🔹 Automotive Aerodynamics CourseDrag, downforce, cooling flow, wakes, and real CFD case studies👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/🚗 Commissioned CFD simulationsIf you want answers without learning CFD, I also do commissioned aerodynamic simulations for real vehicles.If you’ve ever wondered what the airflow around your car is actually doing, you can find details here:👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/

Paper discussed:

“Numerical study of motorbike aerodynamic wing kit” (Journal of Mechanics, Oxford Academic) https://academic.oup.com/jom/article/doi/10.1093/jom/ufae025/7693724, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#MotoGP #Aero #CFD #Engineering #Motorcycles #Winglets #OpenFOAM

Birds don’t “flare and gently land” the way we usually imagine. Many species ride the stall edge on purpose—trading stability for control right at touchdown.

In this episode, we break down a recent aerodynamics paper on bird perching/landing near stall, what the data actually shows, and how it maps onto concepts you already know: lift breakdown, unsteady separation, pitch control, and energy management.

What you’ll learn:

Why birds approach the perch at very high angles of attack

How they stay controllable near stall (and when they don’t)

What “controlled stall” means in real aerodynamic terms

How this compares to aircraft physics

Why perching is an extreme case of unsteady aerodynamics

If you like deep dives on new aerodynamics research + car aero simulations, subscribe for weekly episodes.

🎓 Learn more (if you want to go deeper)🔹 RC Airplane Design CoursePropellers, airfoils, performance trade-offs, and aircraft-level design👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/

🔹 Learn OpenFOAM for Aerodynamics & CFDFrom meshing and validation to interpreting results correctly👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/

🔹 Automotive Aerodynamics CourseDrag, downforce, cooling flow, wakes, and real CFD case studies👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/🚗 Commissioned CFD simulationsIf you want answers without learning CFD, I also do commissioned aerodynamic simulations for real vehicles.If you’ve ever wondered what the airflow around your car is actually doing, you can find details here:👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/📚 Paper discussedAgile perching maneuvers in birds and morphing-wing drone, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41467-024-52369-4?fromPaywallRec=false, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#Aerodynamics #FluidDynamics #BirdFlight #Stall #Aviation #CFD #WindTunnel #NatureCommunications

In this episode, we analyze a CFD study on curved-tip propeller geometry for hovering drones, comparing it directly to a standard straight-blade propeller.

The paper uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to evaluate thrust, power consumption, efficiency, and flow structures for both propeller designs.

While the curved-tip propeller produces significantly higher thrust, it also requires more power, resulting in reduced flight endurance.

This video breaks down the aerodynamics behind those results, including:

• tip vortices and induced losses in propellers

• how curved tips function like winglets

• thrust vs efficiency trade-offs in hovering flight

• why higher thrust does not always mean better performance

• how CFD is used to evaluate drone propeller designs

🧠 Key takeaway

Curved-tip propellers don’t make drones more efficient — they reallocate energy from endurance to lift

🎓 Learn more (if you want to go deeper)

🔹 RC Airplane Design Course

Propellers, airfoils, performance trade-offs, and aircraft-level design👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/

🔹 Learn OpenFOAM for Aerodynamics & CFD

From meshing and validation to interpreting results correctly👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/

🔹 Automotive Aerodynamics Course

Drag, downforce, cooling flow, wakes, and real CFD case studies👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/

🚗 Commissioned CFD simulations

If you want answers without learning CFD, I also do commissioned aerodynamic simulations for real vehicles.

If you’ve ever wondered what the airflow around your car is actually doing, you can find details here:👉 https://premieraerodynamics.com/Simulate-Your-Own-Car/

Paper discussed

Chakchouk et al., The impact of curved-tip propeller geometry on hovering drone performance for air quality monitoring applications (2023), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/16878132231206330, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#Aerodynamics #CFD #DronePropellers

Motorcycle aerodynamics looks simple — until you actually try to model it.

At racing speeds, the airflow around a motorcycle is highly unsteady, asymmetric, and dominated by the rider, not the bike. Small changes in posture can completely restructure the wake, creating a problem that is closer to controlled chaos than clean textbook aerodynamics.

In this episode, we break down why motorcycle aerodynamics is so hard, using insights from CFD, turbulence modeling, and published research. We’ll look at:

• Why the rider creates so much of the drag

• How flow separates around the helmet and shoulders

• What the wake actually looks like at high speed

• How models like DES, SAS, and k-ω SST are used to capture unsteady flow

Whether you’re an engineer, racer, or just curious about why motorcycles behave the way they do at speed, this episode will give you a deeper intuition for the problem.

• Motorcycle vs rider drag contribution

• Flow separation and wake structure

• Turbulence, vortices, and unsteady aerodynamics

• Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) vs Detached Eddy Simulation (DES)

• Why motorcycles don’t behave like cars in the wind tunnel

COURSES:

Automotive Aerodynamics Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Automotive-Aerodynamics/

UAV Design And Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/Want to simulate your VERY OWN car? Check out our service here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/simulate-your-own-carLearn OpenFOAM here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/Want an easy way to make your experiments 2-4% more accurate? Check out The Atmosphere Hawk to make your aerodynamic experiments better: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Atmosphere-hawkPaper: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/16/5920, licensed under: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Comprehensive CFD Aerodynamic Simulation of a Sport Motorcycle

Rotor aerodynamics near obstacles podcast 255

RC Airplane Design And Build Course: https://premieraerodynamics.com/RC-Airplane-Course/Want to simulate your VERY OWN car? Check out our service here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/simulate-your-own-carLearn OpenFOAM here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/Want an easy way to make your experiments 2-4% more accurate? Check out The Atmosphere Hawk to make your aerodynamic experiments better: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Atmosphere-hawkPaper and original thumbnail: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272-018-0346-8, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Simulation of the aerodynamic interaction between rotor and ground obstacle using vortex method#Aerodynamics #Aero #CFD #ComputationalFluidDynamics #FluidMechanics #helicopterAerodynamics #helicopternearhouse #helicopternearground #groundeffect #helicopterthrust #helicopterpitching

Triple Delta Wing vs Double Delta Wing Aerodynamics podcast 254Want to simulate your VERY OWN car? Check out our service here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/simulate-your-own-carLearn OpenFOAM here: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Courses/Want an easy way to make your experiments 2-4% more accurate? Check out The Atmosphere Hawk to make your aerodynamic experiments better: https://premieraerodynamics.com/Atmosphere-hawkPaper and original thumbnail: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13272-021-00566-y?fromPaywallRec=false, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Numerical investigations of vortex formation on a generic multiple‑swept‑wing configuration#Aerodynamics #Aero #CFD #ComputationalFluidDynamics #FluidMechanics #carAerodynamics #deltaWing #lambdawing #vortexLift #deltawingVortexLift #tripledeltawing #doubledeltawing