Hello,
When i played Golf in Garmish Partenkirchen Gemany ( high altitude) i got
the longest drive of the tee ever maybe 25 yards more distance.The people
behind me,was thinking i was a Golf Pro for hitting the ball quite far ,but
straight also.I played Golf for years in Redmond Washington,and never had
long distance drive as in the altitude in Garmish,there is something to this
and it might be well that this Swifts taking advantage of.

Ruth Sullivan Tacoma
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne C. Weber" <contopus at shaw.ca>
To: "CONNIE SIDLES" <csidles at mail.isomedia.com>
Cc: "TWEETERS" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 1:13 PM
Subject: VAUX'S SWIFTS AND THIN AIR


> Connie and Tweeters,
>
> At first, it might seem logical that birds could fly faster at 4000 or
> 5000 feet altitude than at sea level, because of the lower atmospheric
> density, and hence less drag. However, because Vaux's Swifts (and most
> birds) fly by flapping, lower atmospheric density would work against
> this by simultaneously reducing the thrust (providing less air to push
> against during each wingstroke). The net result, it seems to me, is
> that altitude should make no difference to the speed at which birds
> fly.
>
> Being a baseball fan, I've heard it claimed that it is a bit easier to
> hit a home run in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies (at over
> 5000 feet altitude in Denver) than in other ballparks of similar
> dimensions. I'm not sure if the statistics support this claim.
> However, there's a big difference between baseballs and birds--
> baseballs don't flap, and the batter can apply equal force regardless
> of the altitude!
>
> I suspect that the reason the Vaux's Swifts near Mount Rainier seemed
> to be flying faster is just that they were closer to the ground than
> you usually see them, and hence the relative motion was greater.
> Either that, or there was a Peregrine after them! :-)
>
> Wayne C. Weber
> Kamloops, BC
> contopus at shaw.ca
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Constance J. Sidles <csidles at mail.isomedia.com>
> To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 4:09 AM
> Subject: Mt. Rainier
>
> < snip >
>
> Also in the area was a good-sized flock of Vaux's swifts. What was
> unusual about them was their speed. They were flying around much
> faster than the swifts do at the Fill. In fact, they were so fast that
> they looked like an entirely
> different species. I'm guessing that their increased speed was made
> possible by the thinner air. Does anyone know if that is true?
>
> < snip >
>
> Connie, Seattle
>
> csidles at mail.isomedia.com
>
>
>
>
>