Mountain Lift principle
Lessons from Andean Condor
Ride the cliff wind.
Andean Thermal Soaring
Core lesson
Great wings go farther when they let the mountain air do some of the carrying.
Biological basis
Andean Condors use huge wings and rising air currents along mountains and cliffs to soar long distances while searching for carrion.
Best use cases
Where this lesson tends to be most useful in practice.
Energy efficiencySoaringMountain airLong distanceScavenging