The "Aerial Screw" or Helicopter was yet another of Da Vinci's Flying Machines which was never built. His designs were very detailed and explained exactly how the device would operate. "If this instrument made with a screw be well made – that is to say,
made of linen of which the pores are stopped up with starch and be
turned swiftly, the said screw will make its spiral in the air and it
will rise high."
A personal favourite of mine is Da Vinci's Parachute. The Parachute was initially designed as a smaller version of the Flying Machine. It was designed with a triangular shape to hold an up draft and so that it could be folded and unfolded with ease. Again this invention was never built or tested in Da Vinci's time, but in 2000 a man named Adrian Nichols constructed a working prototype based exactly on Da Vinci's designs and it worked perfectly and "had a smoother ride than modern parachutes" according to A. Nichols.
No comments:
Post a Comment