Leonardo da Vinci’s parachute design used a cloth canopy supported by a pyramid-shaped wooden frame.
Leonardo recorded the concept in the Codex Atlanticus around 1485. His drawing shows a rigid, roughly seven-metre-high pyramidal framework covered with linen. The structure was intended to catch air and let a person descend from a height without spinning uncontrollably.
The design was a theoretical invention, not a documented Renaissance test. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas built a replica and tested it from a balloon, reporting that it descended successfully. He then cut away from the heavy structure and completed the jump with a modern parachute for safety. The replica’s success suggests that Leonardo’s aerodynamic reasoning was more practical than the original lack of testing might imply.
Leonardo’s parachute is different from his flying-machine designs. It does not provide powered ascent or sustained forward flight; its purpose is to increase drag and control a fall. Modern parachutes use flexible canopies and suspension lines rather than a rigid pyramid.