Had Daedalus, prior to his legendary flight from Crete on wings of wax and feathers, resorted to a little ground testing under simulated flight conditions, he would possibly not have lost his son Icarus and the art of aeronautical engineering might have joined the ranks of the great classics However, this Greek aircraft designer did not happen to have on this occasion the benefit of a development contract for such test work Indeed, I understand the whole venture was undertaken strictly without the authority of the local Ministry of Aviation, and so the chances for a successful completion of this note-worthy effort were somewhat restricted The designer then, very wisely and no doubt realising the short-comings of the situation, advised strict adherence to a very limited flight envelope, so that there would be a safety margin for contingencies during the ensuing flight