Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machines

Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying Machines

Leonardo da Vinci, the most renowned representative of the Renaissance, tried to unravel the mystery of flight as well. Most of his ideas were based on his observations of Nature. He drew numerous flying structures for over two decades, although most of his ideas never left the drawing board. Some of his plans were tested later and it turned out they would never have worked in practice. Most of his inventions, however, have been rediscovered by subsequent generations and have been credited to other inventors.

Measuring more than 5 m in diameter, it was made of wood, linen and wire. Four people standing on a platform had to rotate the crankshaft. Once rotating, it was supposed to lift off the ground. It is considered a prototype of modern helicopters.

Pedal for raising wings/Pedal for lowering wings

The wings can be moved using the pedals located at the feet of the pilot.

Based on his observations and research concerning flight, Leonardo designed a flying machine. The aim of this extra­ordinarily complex study was to mimic the different phases of the flight of birds. The structure resembles a bat, and its wings can be up to 11 m long.

The mechanical wing is one of the masterpieces among Leonardo’s sketches related to aviation, and of his geometric approach to observing Nature. The extremely complex device mimics the wings of birds, both in its structure and its functioning.