The Eagles could not fly the Ring to Mount Doom because the entire success of the quest hinges on absolute secrecy, not military force. Sauron's gaze, represented by the great Eye, is constantly scanning Middle-earth, and his airspace is heavily guarded by the Nazgûl on winged beasts and the archers of Mordor. Giant eagles flying directly toward Mount Doom would be spotted instantly, turning a stealth mission into a suicidal frontal assault. Structurally, the screenplay establishes that the Ring cannot be smuggled by the powerful. The Eagles are sentient, ancient, and highly magical beings, not mere beasts of burden; exposing them to the Ring's corruptive lure would risk creating an unstoppable, airborne tyrant. This is why the task falls to Hobbits. Their lack of ambition and physical insignificance make them invisible to Sauron's grand strategic calculations. The journey must be a slow, agonizing crawl on foot because the moment the quest becomes a loud, high-profile aerial run, Sauron wins.■