Leonardo da Vinci’s ornithopter was a design intended to let a person fly by flapping wings.
The word ornithopter means a machine that flies by moving its wings like a bird. Leonardo studied bird anatomy and flight, then drew several flying-machine concepts during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Some designs used a pilot’s arms and legs to power large wings through mechanical linkages.
Leonardo’s ornithopters were never proven capable of carrying a human. Human muscle power is not sufficient to produce the wing area and thrust needed for sustained flapping flight at a practical scale. The drawings nevertheless show careful attention to wings, joints, frames, and the movement of air.
The ornithopter should not be confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which used a rotating helical surface and is often described as a helicopter predecessor. An ornithopter depends on flapping wings, while a helicopter depends on rotating blades.