First Aviator: Abbas Ibn Firnas

Abstract

Ever since the Human intellect begin, man has been fascinated by the flight of birds. Because of their adaptive nature, bird fly effortlessly. Man has always been inspired by this and has dreamt of a flight. However years passed since the human race has begun but still there has been no idea of Flight. In the early 9th century an Andlusian Poet, Mathematician and Engineer Abbas Ibn Firnas came up with an idea of flight. He was quite successful in his experiments of flight which he demonstrated to the people of Cordaba Spain when he launched himself from Minaret of Cordoba's Largest Masjid using his flying machine. Although he had minor injuries in his attempt due to absence of tail in his machine which later became the base for the design of flying machine. In this paper we would through a light towards the unsung history from which the footprints of history of aviation could be traced.

Full text

First Aviator: Abbas Ibn Firnas
Azhar Yousuf
Department of Aeronautical engineering, Student of B.E. Aeronautical Engineering, Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College
Coimbatore 641002, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: azharyousf865@gmail.com
Contact: 6005119467
ABSTRACT
Ever since the Human intellect begin, man has been fascinated by the flight of birds. Because of their adaptive nature,
bird fly effortlessly. Man has always been inspired by this and has dreamt of a flight. However years passed since the
human race has begun but still there has been no idea of Flight. In the early 9th century an Andlusian Poet,
Mathematician and Engineer Abbas Ibn Firnas came up with an idea of flight. He was quite successful in his
experiments of flight which he demonstrated to the people of Cordaba Spain when he launched himself from Minaret
of Cordoba’s Largest Masjid using his flying machine. Although he had minor injuries in his attempt due to absence
of tail in his machine which later became the base for the design of flying machine. In this paper we would through
a light towards the unsung history from which the footprints of history of aviation could be traced.
Key words: Ibn Firns, History of Aviation, First attempt of flying, Technology and Islamic Golden age of Islam.
INTRODUCTION
In this so called technological era, people prefer the luxuries. To save time people designed a machines and one them
is Aircraft. In 15th century when Leonrdo Da Vinci designed an Ornithopter and Sir George Caley (The Giant in the
history of aviation) in 17th century designed the fixed wing aircraft. The design of structure and the concept of
controls in the machine was same which a man “Abbas Ibn Firns” almost 1000 years before has demonstrated to the
people. But unfortunately this name remains unappreciated in the history of aviation and even if it comes, it comes
with the Latinized version Airmen Firmen. History is history but the contribution he made to give concept of new
field of technology could not be denied. There has been several evidence of his flight in the literature. And even
world’s famous organization’s has honored him which is the strongest evidence about his existence and answer to
those who say that the flight of Abbas Ibn Firnas is just a myth and mostly remains unnoticed in the history books.

FLIGHT OF IBN FIRNAS:
When a person observes nature and looks into birds an idea to fly like a bird strikes his mind. There are myths of
flight in the early Mayan Civilizations (3000BC) and The Greek Myth of Deadalus and Icarus (1000 BC) is full of
mythology and superhuman abilities. Later in 9th Centuary an Andalusi polymath and engineer Abu al-Qasim Abbas
ibn Firnas ibn Wirdas al-Takurini in 875AD dared to make heavier than air machine. Abbas Ibn Firnas was born in
810AD in Ronda Spain. It was a Quranic verse [Al-Qur’an: Surat An-Nahl (The Bee) – 16:79] which could have
inspired him.
“Do they not see the birds suspended in mid-air up in the sky? Nothing holds them there except Allah. There
are certainly signs in that for people who believe.”
This thing ignites a spark in the mind of Abass Ibn Firnas in the year 852 AD to take first flight. Ibn Firnas created a
light timber frame with the use of feathers, silk, and possibly bamboo, and gave it a wing-like shape. These were the
available lightweight materials of that time. He attempted his experiment for the first time by jumping from the
Minaret of Cordoba's Largest Masjid. He fall suddenly and uncontrollably onto the ground but luckily he had no
serious injuries. Ibn Firnas realized from first attempt that how a flight could be made successful by adding a tail to
his machine. More than next twelve years of his life, Ibn Firnas studied the functioning and performance of birds to
understand the slow landing, which was made possible by the tail and wings working together. Winged species use
their wings to provide thrust when flying. A bird's altered wing posture creates an angle of attack that generates a
lifting force. A winged creature that is headed for a landing adjusts the position of its wings to reduce drag, while
using its tail as a rudder to move and slow down its speed in midair. In order to create stability, the flying machine's
tail is used to move. At that point he begun once more the plan and recreation of his machine. In the second attempt
he jumped from a mountain “Jabal al-Arus” in Cordaba. A large crowd witnessed the second attempt and Ibn Firnas
gave a speech before he jumped from the mountain.
“This moment, I shall say good bye to you all. I shall do so by moving my wings up and down, which should
normally result in me flying like a bird. If everything goes well, I shall be able to fly back to you safely”.
He remained in the flight for about 10 minutes. Among the people present were also the members of court of
Muhammad I, Emir of the Andalusi caliphate. Spectators allegedly commented that he flew like a feathered creature
like a bird. Mu'min ibn Said {one of the court poet} marked out the flight, and penned down in his poetry that Ibn
Firnas “Flew faster than the phoenix in his flight when he dressed his body in the feathers of a vulture”
In this manner, Firnas is the man capable for the hypothesis that went on to form the Ornithopter, and flying
machine that mirrors feathered creatures and flies by fluttering its wings. His flying machine designs went on to
create the premise of flight designing or aviation engineering. After the death of those who witnessed his flight the
great engineer and 1st man to attempt flight was dropped out of the history. There are very few reasons for his work
remaining unknown to us.
 The famous Moroccan historian, al-Maqqari, had collected and published most of the proofs of Ibn Firnas’s
rare achievements within the 17th century, but Maqqari's work went untranslated for over 200 years.

 As per the Philip Hitti in his book “History of the Arabs”, “Ibn Firnas was the first man in historical records to make
a scientific efforts to fly.
 In 12th century many of manuscripts were translated in European Languages and were quoted in European
universities as their own.
 And one of the most reasonable possibility of remaining unknown for the Abbas Ibn Firnas was the burning of many
libraries like Library of Alexandria (Egypt), Library of Antioch (Syria), Library of Al-Hakam 2 (Al-Andalus in
976AD), and House of Wisdom (Bagdad in 1258AD by Mangols).
 The Cordabn court Chronicle, produced by historian Ibn Hayyan, is the longest and most reliable source of this
polymath's career.
This man was the inspiration for two subsequent flights: the first by Jauhari, who died in either 1003 or 1008 while
attempting to fly from a mosque roof in Nishapur, Khorasan, Iran, and the second by Eilmer of Malmesbury, a British
(English) monk who attempted to pilot a crude sliding boat from the tower of Malmesbury Abbey in 1010. It’s far stated
that Eilmer flew over 200 m (180 m) earlier than touchdown/landing and breaking his legs. It then goes on and opened
the doors towards a new technology which could make a man to fly like birds. In 1500, Leonardo Da Vinci Drew some
drawings of Ornithopter which interestingly resembled to the structure of the machine designed and constructed by Abbas
Ibn Firnas centuries before. Then in 1853 a machine called “Glider” was designed and constructed by the today known
father of aviation “Sir George Caley”. And this field of technology kept enhancing and now a day’s life is almost
impossible without aviation.
HONOURS TO IBN FIRNAS:
 A carter on the moon is named after him as Ibn Firnas Carter {Lat. 6.8° N, Long. 122.3° E, Dia. 89KM} by
International Astronomical Union in 1976.
 In 2011, the "Abbas Ibn Firnás Bridge" was a name given to a bridge that spans the Guadalquivir River in Córdoba,
Spain.
 Ibn Firnas is the name given to a charter airline based at London Biggin Hills Airport, a Muslim inventor from
Spain who is said to have made the first human flight in 875AD.
 A statue of Ibn Firnas has been built in Bagdad airport to recognize his achievements.
Fig. 1 Ibn Firnas bridge Cordaba.
Fig.2 Abbas Ibn Firnas Statue Bagdad Airport.

OTHER INVENTIONS OF IBN FIRNAS:
His other inventions include colorless glass, corrective lenses, water clock, armillary space and fused Quartz etc.
CONCLUSION:
While studying the history of aviation we could find its roots from the invention of the flying machine designed and
manufactured by Ibn Firnas in 875AD. It's fascinating to see a ninth century brimming with advanced scientific and
technological sector of engineering and design capabilities and artistic imagination. However he has remained unknown
because of the lack of fame of his writings and the most of the evidences of his attempt due to the burning of several
libraries which contain these manuscripts. And even few considers it as myth. But there are several honors in his legacy.
Many writers have written in their books about his flying machine. Later when Da Vinci and George Caley put forward
their designs, were almost same as describes early by Ibn Firnas. No doubt, he deserves to be referred to as the "Father
Aviation." At least he deserves a place of his Honor in the history of aviation.
REFERENCES:
1) "Eilmer of Malmesbury, an Eleventh Century Aviator: A Case Study of Technological Innovation, Its Context and Tradition", Technology and
Culture 2 (2), p. 97-111.
2) Al-Maqqari, Ahmed Ibn Muhammed, 1840. The history of the Mohammedan dynasties in Spain. London: Oriental Translation Library of the British
Museum.
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Fig.3 Image Map of the Moon by U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

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