Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute as a device for controlled descent.
His c. 1485 sketch shows a rigid wooden frame covered with linen. The design is often described as a pyramid about 7 metres high and 7 metres wide at its base. Leonardo reasoned that the structure would allow a person to descend safely from a height.
Leonardo did not record a documented full-scale test. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nichol built and tested a full-size version, but used a modern parachute for safety after finding the replica difficult to control. The design is therefore an important early parachute concept, not a proven medieval aircraft.
The invention is sometimes confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was a speculative vertical-flight machine. A parachute slows a fall; it does not generate powered lift or climb through the air.