Let's Fly!

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“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…”

Almost without thinking, we can finish this quote with ease! No wonder, as everyone, even the youngest among us, dreams of flying! And this, I believe, has been true for thousands of years. But, until relatively recently, flying has been just that—a dream!

Just a few hundred years ago, getting off the earth, even for a few moments, seemed impossible! Yet, humans have never stopped trying to do so!

The other day we ventured up to Rockland and then over to Owl’s Head Museum of Transportation. Unsure what to expect, we entered a well-maintained and well-lit exhibit area, with concise, informative description-plaques. Imagine our surprise when we came upon this ornithopter! To be truthful, I had never heard of an ornithopter, never even imagined anyone would consider taking the time and effort to build one. But there it was—James Clark’s creation, a plane with wings made of bird feathers! Clark was a clock maker, bicycle repairman, and inventor in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania. When he made this flying machine is uncertain, but definitely before 1910! Did it ever fly? No one knows!

“A crazy idea!” you may think, but, looking at it took me back more than 2,000 years to ancient Greece and a determined father named Daedalus…

“We cannot possibly escape from this tower, father? What will become of us?”

Daedalus knew his son, Icarus, was right—King Minos had imprisoned the two in a tower on the island of Crete. Escape by land or by sea (even if they managed to reach the coast unnoticed) was impossible. “The air!” thought Daedalus, “surely Minos cannot control the air! Besides, I am no criminal! I did exactly as Minos requested: I built a labyrinth from which nothing can escape, not even the monstrous Minotaur, the queen’s half-man/half-bull son! In fact, I almost lost my way when I left the labyrinth for the last time! Never did I think that Minos would kill me just to keep the labyrinth’s layout a secret!”

“Son, I have a plan! Gather all the feathers you can from the birds that frequent this tower. I will then melt the beeswax I have and use this string to make each of us a pair of wings! We will fly our way to freedom! No one will be able to stop us!” And, that is exactly what he did!

According to the ancient writer Ovid, Daedalus laid out the shortest feathers first. He then built up on them with feathers of increasing lengths. His goal was to imitate, as closely as possible, bird wings! Daedalus wove the string in and out along the middle of the feathers and then sealed the base with beeswax. After completing the task, he carefully mounted one set onto Icarus’s back, and the other onto his own.

“Follow me, my son! And, remember, be careful! You must not fly too close to the sun, as the heat will melt the wax. Nor can you fly too close to the sea, as the water will weigh down the feathers.”

“I understand, father! Worry not!” And off the two flew. Farmers in the fields, sailors on the seas—all looked up at the incredulous sight! “Must be gods winging their way across the heavens!” they thought.

Once away from Crete, the duo headed north toward Greece. Icarus could hardly believe what was happening! He flapped his wings down, then up, then down again! “What fun! Let me try some spins! Whoa! I love this! Let me see how high I can fly!” Up, up, up he went! “Wait a minute! What’s happening? I’m losing speed! My feathers—they’re falling off! What? Oh, no….”​

Down, down, down went Icarus. Daedalus heard his son’s cries. But it was too late! Icarus’s fall had been almost instantaneous. As Daedalus combed the sea looking for traces of his son, he saw a trail of feathers. Soon, he found Icarus and gave him a proper burial on the nearby island—still known today as Icaria! You might want to stop by if you are cruising the Aegean Sea!

Ovid’s intention in retelling the story was to advise readers to be aware of overreaching, of excessive pride, of hubris. Through the centuries, countless authors have incorporated the tale into their writings. Perhaps James Clark read the story of Icarus and chose to abandon his ornithopter and turn his creative mind to other projects!

Join me next time when Maine—Window to World trains its lens on another part of the world.

To read past blog entries, go to: ivycloseimages.com/blog-maine-window-to-the-world.html

Comments are welcome: rosalie@ivycloseimages.com