In XIX century in Colombia, was found a few dozen unusual gold figurines. Figures depict some strange animals. With the coming era of airplane figurines recognized aircraft. Not only that, over time there were more such products in South America. At the burial of Egypt also found a glider or plane. The constructed models have shown the wonders of ballooning.

Figures, sometimes called golden, is actually made of an alloy of gold and copper. They are part of an extensive collection, which is the world’s single "Gold Museum” (Museo del Oro) in Bogota. Most of these artifacts have been created between the fifth century AD until the arrival of the conquistadors.

First drew attention to the uncanny resemblance "little animals” with model airplanes jeweler Emmanuel Staub, when in 1969 Colombians showed his exhibition at the New York Museum of Metropolitan. He made ​​a copy that you sent the famous American writer and naturalist aivan Terence Sanderson (Ivan Terence Sanderson), the website nosvisitan.com .

Mr Sanderson (1911-1973) – author of popular books on cryptozoology, the mystery of the yeti, received a strange object, made a list of all the animals that can fly and where the Indians were able to observe firsthand. In his list was a place and flying fish and sharks. However, in his opinion, none of these animals are not like a man-made objects. After much thought Sanderson came to the conclusion that the figures – it is not zoomorphic creatures, and most likely aircraft. Need help of a specialist and a zoologist wrote a letter to the American expert on aerodynamics, Arthur Young (Arthur Middleton Young), a designer helicopter Bell .

Response engineer disappointed popularizer, because although the designer and allows the existence of some similarities with the aircraft, but in his view, the wings were badly placed, and the front end and did not like the front of the aircraft. The conclusion was categorical – presented by subject, not a copy of the aircraft.

Sanderson, however, this has not calmed down and sent another sample Allrichu engineer Jack A. (Jack A. Ullrich). The assessment of this geek was completely the opposite of the verdict of his fellow man. He compared the figure with jet F-102 Delta Dagger , who from 1955 to 1964. producing American company Convair. By the way, this fighter plane has a top with a scab to 1185 km / h.

A former technician of the Air Force of the United States of America Allrich went further, stressing that the wings of the object resemble the wings of a seaplane. Sanderson immediately concluded that the figure could have done in imitation of the morphology of the volatilefish, given the obvious similarities between these figures and strange fish.

Exocoetidae or flying fish – fish family unit sarganoobraznyh. There are more than 70 species. Flying fish can fly through the air over 100 feet and soar to a height of 10 meters. Critics of Sanderson’s version of the existence of airplanes in pre-Columbian civilizations in South America say, they say, fascinated by these strange fish of the Indians just wanted to play them. A similar specimen, exhibited in the museum of primitive art in New York, equipped with a plaque with the inscription "winged crocodile. And it is not necessary to have a rich imagination, that at every instance of mouth and eyes, can easily find the cockpit, fuselage, wings, stabilizers, fin.

Sanderson was a prolific writer and a good promoter of his beloved science of zoology. His article about the mysterious figurines created a sensation and attracted massive interest in gold figurines from Colombia. Many experts and laymen rushed to look for similar figures and images in museums and private collections.

In museums around the world found about thirty gold figurines that resemble airplanes. At various times, they were all found in the tombs of the South American Indian chiefs. Most of these "airplanes” is found in the Colombian province of Tolima. In the Berlin Museum of Ethnography, in particular, kept "airplane”, found in Costa Rica. Reported the discovery of similar gold products in Venezuela and Peru. Perhaps these figures were breast ornaments or amulets.

Fans of aviation, addicted to the same aircraft construction, Algund Enboom (Algund Eenboom), Peter Belting (Peter Belting) and Conrad Lubbers (Conrad Lübbers) from Germany, have created increased 16-fold copies of the figures. For this purpose, we chose two figures: one of the Gold Museum in Bogota, which is described Sanderson, the other – from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Airplanes made in two versions. One supplied with the propeller on the other put a jet engine. For greater visibility of airplanes covered with gold paint. Experiment in 1996 showed that the airplanes have excellent aerodynamic properties, performing aerobatics, such as loop or a barrel. They are perfectly planned to shut off the motor and maneuvered with confidence in spite of wind gusts.

Two years later the experiment was repeated. Specialists have recognized a similar device – the creation of human hands, rather than nature, and it is intended for the flight!

During the frenzy of 1969, when the full-searched "airplanes”, an Egyptian professor of anatomy, Helwan University, and Fellow of the Royal Egyptian club model aircraft and the Egyptian club Aeronautics Messiha Khalil (Khalil Messiha) drew attention to the information stored in the Cairo Archaeological Museum figurine of a bird. She settled down in the window labeled "Figures of birds.” But Messiha noticed that something in the shape of this bird, discovered in 1898 in the burial of Pa-di-Imen in the north of Saqqara, dating from 200 BC, vaguely reminiscent of an aircraft or, at worst, the glider.

This item with accession number 6347 is made ​​of solid wood or sycamore maple. It weighs 39.120 grams. Length – 14,2 cm, wingspan – 18,3 cm Nose figurines made ​​in the form of the beak. On the right side of the bird’s eye painted on the other side it is missing (perhaps erased). In addition to these two moments, the model has no signs of bird. Tail, as in Colombia, "airplanes”, is a vertical fin. The wings and body are clearly aerodynamic contours. Some observers have even noticed a resemblance to an American military transport aircraft medium-and long-range C-130 Hercules , produced aviakontsernom Lockheed .

Design engineers of aircraft immediately drew attention to one significant flaw. If this alleged model glider, then it has no horizontal tail and stabilizers, without which the glider will be unstable in flight. Then Khalil Messiha produced a replica of a museum exhibit, providing its stabilizer. Equipped with a little motor with a propeller model developed speed from 45 to 65 miles per hour (72 to 105 km / h) and could carry little weight.

After such a sensational discovery in the vaults of the Egyptian Museum began searching for unique bird-aircraft. January 12, 1972 in the central hall of the museum opened an exhibition of ancient Egyptian models of aircraft, which had 14 items.

Nevertheless, most Egyptologists believe that this image of a bird with outstretched wings, and only birds. However, with a rather strange tail that have these birds living in the wild, is not found. In support of his hypothesis, scientists refer to three very similar to a bird of Saqqara pictures that adorned the tops of the masts of ancient Egyptian ships. At one shows the main boat of Pharaoh Ramses III (reigned from 1187 to 1156 BC. Er.), On the other – mast boat during the reign of Herhor (1076 to 1066 BC. Er.), The third – the central mast ship the High Priest of Amun during the reign of Amenhotep II (18 th dynasty). All three are in bas-relief of the god Khonsu Temple at Karnak, and from the late New Kingdom (in one version of the chronological framework of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt fit from 1550 to 1070 BC. Er.).
Add, god Amun, his wife – the goddess Mut and son of the sky – the moon god Khonsu – were so-called Theban triad of the Egyptian gods. The fact that the inscription on the bird says that it is offering to Amun. Amon, whose name literally translates as "hidden”, "secret” was the god of the sun. Sacred animal of Amun had a ram.

Logical to assume, say researchers, traditionalists that we are dealing with a weather vane pointing the direction of the wind on the boat or from child’s play, which could plan, if it threw them into the air.

But the most sensational news distinguished historian William Deutsch, who said that the Pharaoh Tutankhamun died 3300 years ago in a plane crash. About this seems to say damage to his body. However, this assumption is difficult to prove or disprove – the fact that there are no specific lesions that could accurately point out that their carrier was in a plane crash. Therefore, this statement was interpreted by many researchers as a curiosity. Although, frankly, the truth about the life of Tutankhamun we hardly ever know ..