What is the common name of Leonardo da Vinci’s rotating aerial-flight machine?

Leonardo da Vinci’s rotating aerial-flight machine is commonly called the aerial screw.

Leonardo drew the aerial screw around 1489. The design resembles a large helical screw with a linen-covered frame. He proposed that rotating the screw would force air downward and lift the machine upward, an idea that resembles the operating principle of a modern helicopter rotor.

The drawing is an important example of Leonardo reasoning from analogy. A screw moves through a solid material, and Leonardo imagined a similar screw-like surface moving through air. His design, however, lacked a practical power source and would have been too heavy for the proposed human operators to lift.

The aerial screw was therefore a concept, not a successful aircraft. It should not be described as a helicopter invented in the Renaissance. Modern helicopters use powered rotors, aerodynamic control, and lightweight structures that Leonardo’s design did not possess.