Leonardo da Vinci’s 1480s design for a machine that could rise by spinning a helical sail is called the aerial screw.
Leonardo drew the device around 1489. Its large spiral sail was intended to push against air as it rotated, using an idea comparable to a screw moving through wood or water. The drawing shows a circular platform, a reed or cane framework, and a linen-covered helical surface.
The aerial screw was not a working helicopter. Leonardo did not have an engine light and powerful enough to turn it, and the design would probably have been difficult to control even with suitable power. It is therefore best understood as a conceptual flying-machine study rather than the first helicopter.
The design is often mentioned alongside Leonardo’s parachute and ornithopter. Those projects show his interest in flight, but none should be confused with a documented powered aircraft. The modern helicopter emerged centuries later through advances in engines, aerodynamics, and rotor control.