Is the Saqqara artifact meant to represent an airplane? This seems unlikely especially in view of the absence of any evidence of the considerable support technology that would of necessity be associated with flight industry (such as wheels, engine machinery, parts manufacture, fuel production, etc.) It would seem strange indeed if the Egyptians flew around in high-tech aircraft and left only a single wooden model (and, some would claim, a few glyphs carved above a temple doorway) as evidence of their airborne activities. What, then, might the model actually represent?
Most Egyptologists think that the artifact is a bird with outstretched wings, though the tail is quite dissimilar to any known bird's tail. Though it is not apparent in the accompanying photographs, painted details of the eyes and beak are still observable on the model. There also remains a bit of paint on the upper edge of the tail, and it is possible that more detail was originally provided but has worn away over time. There is also a graceful curve on the bottom of the model delineating the anatomical transition of the body to the head and the tail, very much in the manner of a bird in flight. But there is still the matter of the peculiar shape of the tail.
Below are details of the tops of the masts from three reliefs depicting boats, all used in the Opet festivals. The first is the masthead of a boat of Ramesses III, the second is the mast of a boat in the reign of Herihor, and the third is the masthead of the ship of state Mery Amun. All of these reliefs are found in the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak and date to the late New Kingdom.
Could the Saqqara artifact have served as a sort of weathervane to indicate wind direction on a boat, practical or ceremonial? The vane-like tail might suggest such a use. Given its size, it appears unlikely that it would have been set atop a mainmast, however, as the reliefs above depict. It is also possible that the artifact served as a child's toy, though its design would not allow it to glide like a bird if hurled through the air.
In any case, of the two theories that the artifact is intended to represent either a bird or an aircraft, the former is the only one tenable based on the corpus of evidence that is known to exist.