Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped flying device is commonly called a parachute.
Leonardo sketched the design around 1485 in the Codex Atlanticus. It used a rigid, pyramid-shaped linen canopy supported by wooden poles, with the passenger suspended beneath it. His notes suggested that a person could jump from a great height without injury if the structure were sufficiently large.
The drawing is an early parachute concept, but it was not a tested working parachute. Its rigid frame also differs from modern fabric canopies, which open through airflow and use suspension lines. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas built and tested a version based on Leonardo’s dimensions; it reportedly descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for landing.
Leonardo’s design is often confused with his aerial screw, which was intended as a lifting machine rather than a descent device. The two sketches belong to his broader study of air resistance and flight.