Leonardo Da Vinci Conference

Leonardo Da Vinci – A Magnificent Man in His Flying Machines Dr. David Mishne, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Technion

Abstract

Leonardo da Vinci, the great Renaissance polymath, was, among his other skills, a natural-born aeronautical designer. Leonardo designed many flying machine configurations. These “flying machines” were carefully designed, following observations and studies of flying birds. His designs were followed by sketches and figures, together with technical specifications related to the geometry and the materials. In this presentation we review a few of his ideas of flying machines: The hang glider, the parachute, the ornithcopter and the helicopter. We shall analyze the aerodynamic properties of his designs, discuss the flying qualities and compare them to modern designs.