The ancient Egyptians knew how to fly? Or history of the bird of ancient Saqqara

Saqqara Bird, Egypt

Saqqara bird was found near the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, a group of archaeologists in 1898 in a necropolis dating from the 3rd century BC The artifact was placed in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and assigned the accession number 6347, where he was completely unknown until the 1969's popularity ancient Egyptian statue of Saqqara known scholar and Egyptologist Khalil Messiha. It was the first time he said that the proportion of birds comply with modern facilities aerotehnicheskim: aircraft and liner.

Saqqara Bird is a wooden model. It weighs only 40 grams. Length - 14, 2 cm, wingspan - 18.3 cm Model shape is completely different from birds: its shape repeats the clear straight lines. Tail like planes is a vertical tail fin. The wings and body is almost flat, not curved like a bird, and repeat the aerodynamic contours.

In 2006, an American expert Simon Sanderrs built a model of Saqqara Bird, increased five-fold to test the ability of the flight. It was found that an artifact of ancient Egypt there was no stabilizer. But due to parallel the tail of the model has the ability to maintain flight as well as that of modern gliders.

Scientists suggest that the ancient Egyptians could use a similar model for the construction of catapults for the operation of flights. Saqqara Bird is the oldest prototype designed millennia later liners that can make traveling by air. Possible according to the proportions of the scale model of the ancient Egyptians built these airplanes in ancient times.

Connoisseurs of modern aircraft confirmed that the model of Saqqara bird resembles the model glider. Only one drawback: no stabilizer, and therefore such technical means is unstable in flight.

Dr. Khalil Messiha suggested that part of the tail of the bird had been broken off. And it is apparently were attached horizontally elevators. On the basis of this observation he made an exact copy of the Saqqara bird figurines, adding stabilizer. the aircraft was tested in flight. The model had a plan and was capable of speeds up to 95 km / h, and even had the opportunity to climb a small weight.

Following this discovery, in 1971, was assembled a panel of experts in ancient Egypt and aviation experts to examine the find and search for new, similar items. In the treasures of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo counterparts birds were found ancient Saqqara, there were only about 14. They were later combined into a collection of ancient Egyptian model "aircraft".

Saqqara Bird, Ancient Egypt