Leonardo da Vinci drew an aerial screw as a proposed way to lift a machine into the sky.
His design, recorded around 1489, has a large helical surface wrapped around a central mast. Leonardo reasoned that if the screw rotated quickly enough, its helical form would bite into the air and raise the structure. The concept is often described as an early ancestor of the modern helicopter, although it was not a working helicopter and had no engine capable of supplying the required power.
The drawing belongs to Leonardo’s broader investigations of flight. He explored several different approaches, including flapping wings, parachutes, and devices with rotating components. These studies combined mechanical ideas with observations about air, water, and motion.
The aerial screw is sometimes incorrectly called the first helicopter. Modern helicopters depend on powered rotors, aerodynamic blades, transmission systems, and controlled lift. Leonardo’s screw was a theoretical machine and could not have carried a person with the technology available in Renaissance Italy.