What was the name of Leonardo da Vinci’s early helicopter-like flying machine?

Leonardo da Vinci’s early helicopter-like flying machine was called the aerial screw.

Leonardo sketched the aerial screw around 1489. The design showed a large helical surface made from reeds and linen, mounted on a frame. Leonardo reasoned that turning the screw could cause it to “screw” upward through the air, much as a screw advances through a solid material.

The machine was never built and tested by Leonardo, and a human-powered version would not have generated enough lift. Modern helicopters use powered rotors with carefully shaped blades, making them fundamentally different in both mechanics and aerodynamics.

The aerial screw is important as a historical concept rather than as a functioning aircraft. It demonstrates Leonardo’s effort to understand flight through analogies with screws, wings, and air pressure. The design is often called a helicopter precursor, but it was not a helicopter in the modern engineering sense.