Lakhasly

ne morning in 852 CE, a man climbed to the top of a minaret of a large mosque in Cordoba.He was already well known as a poet, astronomer, musician, engineer, scientist and inventor.The man was Abbas Ibn Firnas and he was attempting to fly.The crowd that shad gathered below were eagerly watching and waiting to see what would happen.The minaret shone in the sun and the crowd fell silent as the man stretched open his arms and prepared to jump.

ne morning in 852 CE, a man climbed to the top of a minaret of a large mosque in Cordoba. He was wearing a cloak with pieces of wood attached. The crowd that shad gathered below were eagerly watching and waiting to see what would happen. The minaret shone in the sun and the crowd fell silent as the man stretched open his arms and prepared to jump.

The man was Abbas Ibn Firnas and he was attempting to fly. He was already well known as a poet, astronomer, musician, engineer, scientist and inventor. He was determined to find a way to fly, and spent many years thinking up designs for wings to help him take flight. He had already tried to fly over the desert, and hoped to fly successfully in Cordoba.

The crowd held its breath as Firnas launched himself into the air. He flapped his arms frantically up and down. 'He's falling!' shouted one man in the crowd, and true enough, Firnas began to fall quickly to the ground like a bird with an injured wing. The look of wonder on the faces of the crowd quickly turned to horror. However, as he fell, his cloak spread out like a parachute and slowed his fall. The crowd rushed to help him. Firnas was shaken but not badly hurt. "Next time I will fly,' he said.Firnas was a brave man and, despite this failed attempt, he was determined to try again. "There must be a way, he thought. 'Birds can fly. Why can't I?" So, for several years, Firnas worked on improving his design. Finally, his new flying machine was ready. The wings were made of silk and eagle feathers. This time, 40 the nearly 70-year-old Firnas climbed to the top of a mountain in Cordoba that

looked out over the city. Once again there was an audience who had gathered to watch him. Firnas was nervous. Were the 45 wings strong enough to carry his weight? Would he really fly? He checked the wings carefully for the last time. Then he looked up at the sky, took a deep breath

and leapt into the air.

30 There was a moment's silence and then a cry went up, "He's flying!" Firnas was flying. He was soaring like a bird! Minutes passed and still he flew - high above the ground, high above the people 55

cheering below. A full ten minutes went by, but suddenly, Firnas felt himself falling. There was no power in the wings and he started to fall. He landed heavily on the ground. The wings were broken 60 and his back was badly hurt. 'I know what I did wrong, he thought. 'I didn't make a tail!'

Firnas realised, too late, that birds use their tails to help them land safely. Even so,

65 his flying machine was the first to support a person in the air and he became the first man to try to fly in a scientific way. Firnas's discovery about the role of the tail

is still very important even today. Watch 20 any plane land. You will see that their back wheels touch the ground first.