Leonardo da Vinci’s screw-shaped aerial machine is known as the aerial screw.
Leonardo drew the design around 1489. It featured a large helical surface made from linen, reeds, and wire, with a central mast and a platform for people to turn the mechanism. His notes suggested that rotating the screw could make it rise through the air.
The aerial screw is often described as a conceptual ancestor of the helicopter because both use rotating surfaces to generate lift. However, Leonardo’s machine lacked a practical power source and suitable lightweight materials. It could not have flown as drawn with the technology available in Renaissance Europe.
The design is also called the “helical air screw.” It should not be confused with Leonardo’s ornithopter sketches, which attempted to copy the flapping motion of birds rather than use rotary lift.