I've seen this a few times and it's not setting well with me that this might become some sort of default rebuttal to the infamous plot hole in Lord of the Rings. I'm going to clear the air right now, this article is purely conjecture and obviously written by someone not well versed in the Legendarium. There was no plot hole; never was. Granted, if someone had only read The Lord of the Rings, they might think there is one, but we know that The Lord of the Rings was just a small piece to a much bigger whole.
The eagles would never directly intervene in the War of the Ring. The eagles are creatures of Manwe Sulimo; a vala that helped shaped the world - his domain is the 'breath of Arda' - the wind and the air. He leads all of the other valar and all elves see him as their cheiftan, their king. All elves yearn to travel west and to be with him.
During the fall of Numenor near the end of the Second Age, the Numenorians (controlled by Sauron) rebelled against the valar, and even sent armies against the valar, in the land of Aman, in the uttermost west. For their insolence, their armies were captured, and Numenor was drowned into the ocean.
The eagles would never directly intervene in the War of the Ring. The eagles are creatures of Manwe Sulimo; a vala that helped shaped the world - his domain is the 'breath of Arda' - the wind and the air. He leads all of the other valar and all elves see him as their cheiftan, their king. All elves yearn to travel west and to be with him.
During the fall of Numenor near the end of the Second Age, the Numenorians (controlled by Sauron) rebelled against the valar, and even sent armies against the valar, in the land of Aman, in the uttermost west. For their insolence, their armies were captured, and Numenor was drowned into the ocean.
After all the blessings and gifts the valar had given to the Numenorians, Manwe turned his back on them after they rebelled and cursed the name of the valar, much like he had turned his back to the insolent Noldorian elves led by Feanor in the First Age. No longer would the valar guide men's path - men must strike out their own path and build their own future as the elves slowly moved back west.
With the rise of Sauron in the Third Age, Manwe, who still loved the Dunedain, couldn't bear that Sauron, a being of their own kind that was still free to roam the world from their own mistakes after the War of Wrath, that ended the First Age, would rule over men as they were weak.
Manwe decided to send some help, breaking his promise (much like he did a few times after the Noldor were cursed), but the help was purely to be counsel and advice. He sent the five Istari (wizards), with Gandalf being one of his own maiar.
The wizards were merely sent to give advice and wisdom to men, but to not directly intervene in the war. This is why they were sent in the forms of old men; they were not there to fight and display their power, only their wisdom (which Gandalf was the wisest of the them). Some could argue that Gandalf overstepped his bounds and became too directly involve in the war, but if Gandalf was in his true form as Olorin, a maiar of Manwe, he would have been able to take the Ring himself to Mordor (if he was able to fight off it's corruption... some would argue, that with the Ring, he would have been even more powerful than Sauron ever was with the Ring).
Now, Gandalf never had direct control of the eagles, only Manwe controls them. The eagles did provide help to Gandalf because he was a maiar of Manwe, but he had no power over their wills. For the eagles to fly the Ring into Mordor would require Manwe to directly involve himself (as they are an extension of him) in men's destiny. The eagles were created by Manwe - they are him. The maiar, in the case of Gandalf, was not created by Manwe, but Illuvatar himself (the being that created everything), but the maiar align themselves with a particular valar (not always though). Even though Gandalf directly intervened, he had the free will do that, a luxury the eagles do not have. Much like Saruman made his choice, of his of free will (he was a maiar of Aule), which went against the will of the valar.
In short, Manwe provided aide, but refused to directly intervene by using his eagles (an extension of himself), because this was man's fight. The Dunedain had a history with Sauron, these events they brought upon themselves (read the Akallabeth), and they needed to triumph over Sauron themselves and create their own future; a future that wasn't dictated by the valar.
Now, Gandalf never had direct control of the eagles, only Manwe controls them. The eagles did provide help to Gandalf because he was a maiar of Manwe, but he had no power over their wills. For the eagles to fly the Ring into Mordor would require Manwe to directly involve himself (as they are an extension of him) in men's destiny. The eagles were created by Manwe - they are him. The maiar, in the case of Gandalf, was not created by Manwe, but Illuvatar himself (the being that created everything), but the maiar align themselves with a particular valar (not always though). Even though Gandalf directly intervened, he had the free will do that, a luxury the eagles do not have. Much like Saruman made his choice, of his of free will (he was a maiar of Aule), which went against the will of the valar.
In short, Manwe provided aide, but refused to directly intervene by using his eagles (an extension of himself), because this was man's fight. The Dunedain had a history with Sauron, these events they brought upon themselves (read the Akallabeth), and they needed to triumph over Sauron themselves and create their own future; a future that wasn't dictated by the valar.
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