Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped design for descending safely from the air was a parachute.
Leonardo sketched the design around 1485. It consisted of a rigid, pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with linen cloth. His notes described it as a device that would let a person descend from any great height without injury.
The design was never built during Leonardo’s lifetime, so it was a theoretical invention rather than a tested aircraft. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a full-scale replica, which descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo’s parachute is often confused with his flying-machine sketches. A parachute does not create powered flight; it slows a descent by producing drag.