Leonardo da Vinci designed glider-like flying machines with triangular wings and a frame for a pilot.
His later flight studies moved beyond flapping wings and considered fixed surfaces that could exploit air currents. In notebooks associated with his work on flight, Leonardo investigated wing shapes, balance, control, and the possibility of launching from high ground. Some reconstructions describe these concepts as gliders, although the surviving sketches vary and do not form one single standardized aircraft.
Leonardo’s glider ideas were not powered airplanes. A successful glider must have enough lift, stability, and control for a safe descent, and Leonardo lacked the experimental data and lightweight materials available to modern designers. His work nevertheless anticipated principles used in later aviation. The safest way to distinguish the concepts is by their mechanism: a glider relies on fixed wings and moving air, while an ornithopter seeks lift through flapping motion.