Ikarus disregarded regulations

Dear Readers

“Be warned, my son! Do not fly too high, lest the sun melt the wax, nor let yourself descend too low, lest the feathers be drenched by the sea!” were the clear instructions from Father Daedalus to his son Icarus before they took flight from Heraklion on the island of Crete with wings they had built themselves. According to the well-known legend, Daedalus and his son Icarus were held captive in King Minos’s labyrinth on Crete over 3,500 years ago. Since Minos ruled the seas, Daedalus decided to build wings out of feathers attached to a frame with wax and to use them to escape captivity through the air. At first, everything went well. After they had passed Samos and Lebinthos,

Icarus became overconfident, flew too high, and the wax melted. The feathers came loose, and Icarus plunged into the sea. His father, Daedalus, reached land safely.¹

Like all legends and myths, the legend of Ikaros is open to a wide variety of interpretations: However, the idea that Ikaros was the first to die in a flying accident due to failure to follow regulations is rarely mentioned and is apparently not to be spoken of. I can’t imagine any other explanation for the widespread use of the name “Icarus”—from travel agencies to hotels to flight schools. What pilot wouldn’t want to fly over—

Be bold? But disregarding regulations can result in penalties, whether in model aviation or manned flight. “Even angels make mistakes,” commented a well-known journalist on the crash of an aviation pioneer. Anyone who observes (model) flight operations at and around airfields will quickly realize that pilots probably disregard regulations just as often as drivers—just like anyone else. This should at least put the aura of glory surrounding aviation into perspective.

For me, however, this aspect of the Icarus myth isn’t the most important one. As described at the beginning, Father Daedalus made the rules very clear right from the start. This is something that’s often neglected by fathers—and, of course, mothers—today. That means

doesn’t mean trying to shield young people from overconfidence or all mistakes, but rather setting clear boundaries and paying special attention to the example we set.

Sincerely,
Emil Ch. Giezendanner