ITALERI FLYING MACHINE (ORNITHOPTER)

The ornithopter is a machine designed to fly by the flapping of its wings in imitation of birds.In 1485, Leonardo da Vinci began to study the flight of birds. He grasped that humans are too heavy, and not strong enough, to fly using wings simply attached to the arms. Therefore he sketched a device in which the aviator lies down on a plank and works two large, membranous wings using hand levers, foot pedals, and a system of pulleys.