Marden J H
Am J Physiol. 1994 Apr;266(4 Pt 2):R1077-84. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1994.266.4.R1077.
Recent empirical data for short-burst lift and power production of flying animals indicate that mass-specific lift and power output scale independently (lift) or slightly positively (power) with increasing size. These results contradict previous theory, as well as simple observation, which argues for degradation of flight performance with increasing size. Here, empirical measures of lift and power during short-burst exertion are combined with empirically based estimates of maximum muscle power output in order to predict how burst and sustainable performance scale with body size. The resulting model is used to estimate performance of the largest extant flying birds and insects, along with the largest flying animals known from fossils. These estimates indicate that burst flight performance capacities of even the largest extinct fliers (estimated mass 250 kg) would allow takeoff from the ground; however, limitations on sustainable power output should constrain capacity for continuous flight at body sizes exceeding 0.003-1.0 kg, depending on relative wing length and flight muscle mass.
近期关于飞行生物短时间爆发式升力和功率输出的实证数据表明，随着体型增大，特定质量的升力和功率输出呈独立（升力）或略微正相关（功率）变化。这些结果与先前的理论以及简单观察结果相矛盾，此前观点认为飞行性能会随着体型增大而退化。在此，将短时间爆发式运动过程中的升力和功率实证测量结果与基于实证的最大肌肉功率输出估计值相结合，以预测爆发式和可持续飞行性能如何随体型变化。所得模型用于估计现存最大的飞鸟和昆虫以及已知化石中最大飞行生物的飞行性能。这些估计表明，即使是最大的已灭绝飞行生物（估计体重250千克）的爆发式飞行性能也能够使其从地面起飞；然而，可持续功率输出的限制应会限制体重超过0.003至1.0千克的生物持续飞行的能力，具体取决于相对翼展长度和飞行肌肉质量。
