Leonardo Da Vinci's Ornithopter

This sketch, from Leonardo Da Vinci's sketchbook, is of a device called an Ornithopter. It is believed that the helicopter may have been created based on Da Vinci's Ornithopter. One of the big themes of the Renaissance was the study of the human body, and the anatomy of animals. By examining the bone structure of bats, Da Vinci formulated his idea for numerous flying machines. Since many people were patronages of the arts, Da Vinci could keep coming up with things and expect a decent income the whole time. This Ornithopter, if successful, could have been very beneficial to the economy, which is yet another reason to make designs like this. Da Vinci was a perfect example of the Renaissance man (L'uomo Universale) since he was gifted in so many fields. Da Vinci explained that the device would work; a small model can be made of paper with a spring like metal shaft that after having been released, after having been twisted, causes the screw to spin up into the air.