May be most of you know that Leonardo da Vinci is the first man that had an idea to fly. Leonardo da Vinci that born at 1452 in Firenze (Italia) said that it’s enough with a wing, human could fly. That idea inspired from a bird. But, the fact is six century before da Vinci born, the function of bird’s wings had inspired a Muslim scientist in Andalusia (Spanish) named Abbas Ibnu Firnas that human can fly by wing. The proof of da Vinci’s discovery is in a sketch on a paper. Otherwise, Ibnu Firnas had an experimental of his discovery. That happened on ninth century in a scientific attempt at flying.
Abbas Qasim ibnu Firnas was born in Cordova at 810 M when the glory era of Caliph Ummayah in Andalusia. His adolescence was spent by doing experimental science. He was master in many science disciplines and also as a musician, a scholar, etc.
Around 852 M, Ibnu Firnas doing his first flight experiment to prove the wing design made of such a cloth and use hull from wood. It happened on a tower of Mezquita Mosque in Cordoba. That wing could drag out Ibnu Firnas’ fall before landing. That gave a facile injury to him. After his first experiment, Ibnu Firnas kept doing correction on wing design and develop gliding concept by looking for inspiration from the nature, especially from birds and bats.
On 65 years old, by a better concept and design, Ibnu Firnas decided to continue his flight experiment from a higher place in order to gets great wind. So, chosen a hill in Rusafa, Jabal Al ‘Arus (Siera Norena). That flight witnessed by Cordoba people. It brought Ibnu Firnas to float in air for ten minutes, caused him get heavy injured on his back.
That accident happened because of a bad sliding and the function of tail that haven’t applied on that glider design, so Ibnu Firnas couldn’t control glider direction well and his body landing not perfectly. Tail on airplane is used as a control and balance when flying.
The glider design by Ibnu Firnas becomes such a prototype for modern glider design. One of other innovation wing technology developed by Ibnu Firnas is the use of flap (additional wing behind the main wing) for getting additional lift. Until now, the flap still use on modern airplane.
Twenty years after that phenomenal flight, at 888 M, Ibnu Firnas dead. But, the death doesn’t extinguish his great. Because of his genius thought and innovation, today we can find a figure of Ibnu Firnas as a name of airport and Ibnu Firnas statue in Baghdad. In Libya figure of Ibnu Firnas perpetuated on stamp. Doha International Airport, Qatar, named their airport management system with Firnas Automates Doha Airport. Even, IAU (International Astronomical Union) scholar agree to named one of moon surface crater as Ibn Firnas Crater.
Yes, Ibnu Firnas was the first man in history to make a scientific attempt at flying. So, be proud, Muslim! We have a genius scientist like Ibnu Firnas and many more. Maybe now we are in a submerged era, but will come the era when Islam back in glory. Hah, I want to experience that.
source : Scientia
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