Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-27966940-20180117043937/@comment-25936766-20180303192638

Sinjoh wrote

............My argument here was to show that Faunus with wings, similar to Argentavis, would in all likeliness need to have a large wingspan in order to fly or maintain flight. But there's a difference between Powered Flight and Unpowered Flight. Yes, both are "Flight" if you want to be pedantic, but they are very different. Unpowered Flight is Gliding and Soaring. Powered Flight is truly flying.

The difference is that Powered Flight involves the user propulsing themselves, lifting themselves. That's what bats, many insects, and small birds like doves and hummingbirds, do. The latter can do it because they are extremely light and thus don't need much force, nor meet much resistance.

Unpowered Flight, is when the user cannot propulse themselves in the air. They cannot lift themselves up or in any direction (gliding), or can only lift themselves by taking advantage of rising air (soaring). In other words, they cannot fly, they can only fall-with-style. They can make themselves fall slower and with more control, but they're still falling.

My point is, Winged Faunus cannot truly fly, they are too heavy for that. They aren't even enough to lift a person, by themselves. Best they can do is Soar or Glide with them. Or "maintain flight", like you say.

And to Soar or Glide, with or without Dust or Equipment, wings of that size are just-fine. Bigger wings would only be more impractical to have, perhaps not for Gliding/Soaring, but definitely for everything else.