Fig. 1.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of a recovery maneuver. Three orthogonal high-speed cameras capture 35 frames per wingbeat, and the still images shown on the side panels are spaced by about four wingbeats. The corresponding three-dimensional wing and body configurations extracted from the images are displayed on a computer-generated model of the fruit fly (body length 2.5 mm). As the fly descends from left to right, we apply a magnetic field (Red Looped Arrow) for one wingbeat that torques the ferromagnetic pin (Bronze Rod) glued to its back and reorients the insect’s flight heading. The insect responds to the flight perturbation by making a corrective turn that lasts several wingbeats.