Leonardo da Vinci’s 1489 lifting device was the aerial screw, an early helicopter concept.
Leonardo drew the design in the manuscript now known as the Codex Atlanticus. It shows a large helical sail or screw supported by a circular frame. His note suggested that, if made large and rotated rapidly, the screw might rise by pressing against the air.
The aerial screw was not a working helicopter. Leonardo lacked a sufficiently light engine and a practical way to produce the necessary power. Modern helicopters use powered rotors that generate lift through rotating airfoils, while Leonardo’s design relied on a linen-covered helical surface.
The sketch is often described as visionary rather than as a direct, functional helicopter prototype. It remains one of Leonardo’s best-known studies of mechanical flight.