Flying Machine

Background

Abbas Ibn Firnas' flying machine is among the most significant aviary achievements in history. Abbas and his flying machine, made of a bamboo frame and eagle feathers, is credited with having been the first human flight with heavier-than-air equipment. Abbas' flight, which lasted roughly ten minutes and resulted in a crash landing, is responsible for helping develop the Ornithopter theory, which emphasizes the importance of a rudder; an aspect of flight Abbas has not yet considered until his crash. The flight, which took place in 870 from a cliff in Yemen, inspired great aviators such as Leonardo Da Vinci and the Wright brothers in their quests of human flight, and without Abbas' contribution to the Ornithopter theory, it is uncertain where aviation would be now.

Impact

Since Abbas’ flight, aviators have practiced the study of the Ornithopter theory, a theorem in which states that an aircraft needs a rudder, or tail, in order to steer properly and successfully land. When Abbas had created his flying machine, he had studied how birds flew for 23 years prior in order to gain a full understanding of the physics of flight. However, when Abbas completed the craft, he neglected to include a rudder, which inevitably caused him to crash land and injure his back. For the last fifteen years of his life, Abbas perfected his craft and created the groundwork for the Ornithopter theory, allowing for future aviators to follow up on this discovery and avoid the same mistakes Abbas made thousands of years ago.

Abbas’ contributions to aviation can still be felt and seen today. Modern-day aircrafts are built with a rudder in order to keep them in flight, which we can see in airplanes, jets, rockets, and helicopters. Without Abbas’ extensive research and determination to develop a safe and successful flight, great aviators who have shaped the world of aviation that we know today, (such as Leonardo Da Vinci, who helped develop further on the Ornithopter theory and the famed Wright Brothers, credited with the invention and first successful airplane flight), would most likely not have known the very crucial yet simple aspect of flight; the rudder.