Codex Atlanticus, folio 93r

Mechanical Bat

The wings of this flying machine comprise two sections, one internal and one external. The pilot would insert his head inside the central hole and put his feet on the pedals. The machine was supposed to have taken flight once launched from a slope.

Unlike many other machines meant for flight, it seems like Leonardo understood that for this design the wing span had to be broad in order to support human weight.

This flying machine looks like a bat, with proportions similar to those of a modern glider and a complex but efficient mechanical system with which to take advantage of every human movement in imitation of the dynamic structure of a winged creature.

Other machines