Leonardo da Vinci designed an ornithopter with flapping wings powered by a person.
An ornithopter is an aircraft intended to fly by flapping wings, imitating the movement of birds or bats. Leonardo’s drawings show large wings connected to pedals, levers, and other mechanisms that a pilot would operate. He hoped human muscle could provide the motion needed for flight.
Leonardo carefully studied birds, wing shapes, balance, and air resistance. However, the power available from a human body is not sufficient to make a practical large ornithopter lift a person using Leonardo’s proposed mechanism. His designs therefore remained studies rather than successful aircraft.
The ornithopter is different from Leonardo’s helical-rotor design, which is often compared with a helicopter, and from his gliding machines, which depend on fixed wings. Modern ornithopters have flown as small radio-controlled aircraft, but they use lightweight materials and powered mechanisms unavailable in Renaissance Italy.