you must be referring to Abbas ibn Firnas, who invented the first known flying machine. Yeah lets make a mockery of the guy who invented the first hang glider, and achieved what the Europeans were still attempting to do... about 10 centuries later.  Never mind the fact that his invention actually worked. But more broadly, when we're talking about scientific advancement, it really makes sense to mock the people who go out and actually try stuff and experiment - cause you know, thats kinda what science is all about. I'm dying to see how you are going to attempt to relate this back to islam's inherent tendency to "stifle" ideas and thought. And the fact is, the Europeans were doing exactly the same thing ten centuries later before they finally mastered the art of flying.