Leonardo da Vinci studied an ornithopter, a mechanical flying machine designed to fly by flapping wings.
Leonardo examined birds and bats closely, then drew machines with wings that would imitate their motion. His designs included frames, wing membranes, pedals, and levers intended to transfer the pilot’s muscle power into wing movement. The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.”
Leonardo’s sketches were important studies in aerodynamics and anatomy, but human muscle power is not sufficient to lift a person with the proposed mechanism. No evidence shows that one of his full-size flying machines was successfully flown. His observations nevertheless anticipated the later scientific study of lift, drag, balance, and wing structure.
An ornithopter is different from a glider, which relies on fixed wings, and from a helicopter, which uses rotating lift surfaces. Modern experimental ornithopters have flown, but they are not reproductions that prove Leonardo’s original designs worked.