Leonardo da Vinci’s “aerial screw” was a helicopter concept.
Leonardo drew the design in the late 15th century, probably around 1489–1490, in his notebooks. It shows a large helical sail made from linen and reed, intended to rotate and lift a frame from the ground. The machine was never built and tested by Leonardo, so it was not a functioning helicopter.
The design is often described as an early ancestor of the helicopter because it uses a rotating airfoil-like surface to create lift. However, Leonardo’s mechanism lacked a practical power source and modern rotor control. The aerial screw should therefore be understood as a visionary engineering study rather than the first helicopter.
The word “helicopter” comes from Greek roots meaning “spiral” and “wing.” Modern helicopters became practical only after engines, lightweight materials, and controllable rotors were developed centuries later.