What was Leonardo da Vinci’s corkscrew-like flying-machine concept called?

Leonardo da Vinci’s corkscrew-like flying-machine concept was called the aerial screw.

Leonardo drew the aerial screw around 1489, describing a helical device intended to rise through the air as its spiral surface turned. The sketch is often discussed as an early conceptual ancestor of the helicopter because it uses a rotating screw-like form rather than flapping wings.

The design was probably not practical as drawn. Leonardo proposed a linen-covered frame and a mechanism powered by people turning cranks, but the available human power would not have been sufficient to overcome the machine’s weight. No evidence shows that he built or tested a working aerial screw.

The aerial screw should not be called a helicopter itself. Modern helicopters depend on powered rotors, aerodynamic airfoils, and precise control systems. Leonardo’s drawing is important mainly as an early attempt to imagine vertical flight through rotation.