Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute for a person to descend safely from the air.
His 1485 Codex Atlanticus sketch shows a rigid wooden frame covered with linen cloth. The design is about 7.2 metres high and wide at its base, creating a large drag-producing surface. Leonardo reasoned that a person could jump from a height while the structure resisted the downward motion.
The drawing predates practical parachutes by centuries, but it demonstrates a correct understanding of air resistance. It was not a compact, modern parachute: its open pyramid would have been bulky and difficult to carry or deploy.
Swiss skydiver Olivier Vietti-Teppa built and tested a full-scale replica in 2000. The replica worked, although he landed using a conventional parachute because the wooden structure could be dangerous near the ground. Leonardo’s design is therefore best understood as an early parachute concept, not a documented working flight device.