By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Why has man been forever obsessed with flying - to reach up high, move along with the clouds, soar like an eagle, explore the wide open spaces. This fixation with the sky is his given right, a right he is obliged to exercise. Scientists tell us we originated from the water, and likewise we are hypnotized by it, seeking its secrets, deep down below the surface. We learnt to swim and we have eternally gazed at its sweeping splendour. Yet the sky remained unattainable, unapproachable, forbidding and foreboding, though it beckoned from above. Mythologies from all cultures abound with tales of flight. If we could not reach the sky, we could at least fantasize about it. Ancient gods surely possessed the power of flight. Angels fly, birds fly, even animals and beasts fly. Why did man remain unable to conquer the air. Could he not just wear a pair of wings and become free as a bird, closer to the angels, closer to the heavens, closer to God? The intensity of man's desire to fly is well recorded in myths and legends, Isis and Osiris could fly, so could Daedalus and Icarus, and even Pegasus, the Greek legendary horse could fly -- all were expressions of man's desire to take to the air and reach the heavens. When the Chinese discovered the kite, they contributed greatly to the invention of flight. Man much admired the wings of the birds and tried to duplicate them. The results were often disastrous as the muscles of the human arms are different from those of the birds, unable to defy gravity. Leonardo da Vinci was the first to study in depth the methods of flight in the 1400s. He made over 100 drawings that illustrated the wings and tails of birds, ideas of man- carrying machines, and devices for testing wings. Da Vinci designed the Ornithopter, which was never actually constructed in his time, but served as a sound concept for our present helicopter. His notebooks on flight were examined by aviation pioneers of the 19th century. It was not until then that man finally figured out a way to fly. Long before the Wright brothers we had the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques Etienne, French inventors of the hot air balloon in 1783. They used smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a balloon attached to a basket. The hot air blew into the balloon allowing it to be lighter than air. The first passengers were a sheep, a rooster and a duck. Their balloon climbed to a height of 6,000 feet and traveled for more than a mile. This encouraged the Montgolfiers to launch their first manned flight in November 1783. The passengers were the brave Jean-Frnacois Pilatte, and the adventurous Francois- Laurent. As far as we know, they both returned safely. Sir George Cayley is the father of aerodynamics. Cayley designed many different versions of gliders and used the movements of the body for control. A young boy was the first to fly Cayley's glider making him the first human to fly. For over 50 years Cayley made improvements in his gliders and recognized that there would be a need for a machine power, if the flight would remain in the air for a long time. Otto Lilienthal, who in 1890 studied aerodynamics, was the first to design a glider that would fly for long distances. Unfortunately after 2800 flights, Otto lost control because of a sudden gush of wind and crashed. Hopefully, he met his death up in the air, where he wished to be. Why are we contemplating flight, the desire, the attempts, the risks, the dangers? A new film, Amelia, about the first female to conquer the skies, and ended up by being lost in space has just been released. The year was 1937, the pilot was American female pioneer Amelia Earhart, born July 24 1897. She was reported missing July 2 1937, three weeks shy of her 40th birthday. The first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic, Earhart had so far enjoyed a brilliant career in aviation. She distinguished herself in every way , flying lecturing, writing, teaching. Following Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic in 1927, the search was underway to fly a female. In 1928 Earhart accompanied pilot William Stultz and co-pilot Louis Gordon on their cross-Atlantic flight that landed in Wales after 20 hours and 40 minutes. Amelia admitted: "I was just baggage, maybe one day I will try it alone." She did, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. She received several distinguished honours from around the world. US President Herbert Hoover fulfilled a dream, by flying with Amelia, "Queen of the Air." The fatal day was nearing. Trans- Atlantic flights were no longer a challenge. The legendary American pilot now wished to fly around the world, via the Pacific. She chose Fred Noonan as second navigator. On July 2nd 1937 at midnight they took off on the Electra from Honolulu, Hawaii, to their first destination, Howland Island. A series of misfortunes and errors, the details of which are still controversial, followed. All contact with the Electra was lost. The search continued until January 1939, when Amelia Earhart was legally declared dead. Her remains were never found Hers is an electrifying journey of an enchanted life and a mysterious death, worthy of the majesty and magnetism of the vast endless sky on a starry, starry night. The mystery has spurred the imagination of many in literature, music, song and film. The new movie, the latest in a long series of films about this intriguing American pioneer, stars two -time Oscar winner Hillary Swank, hailed as one of the best female performers today, and directed by the able Indian-born Mira Nair. An iconic figure, Amelia's is a modern fairy tale of the "Queen of the Air" who, one day flew up, up and away, never to return. She is still up there, sailing with the clouds, soaring with the eagles, touching the stars, and having a simply heavenly time. A man with wings...might learn to overcome the resistance of the air...and raise himself upon it -- Leonardo da Vinci (1450-1519)
