Many years ago, the talented inventor Leonardo da Vinci was sure that people could fly using special wings. He was called a genius and even suspected of conspiring with black magic. The scientist drew mysterious pictures and his engineering developments and complex technical drawings amaze even our contemporaries. Leonardo da Vinci was interested in flight mechanisms, and in 1487, worked on a unique, for his time, flying machine. It was called the ornithopter, but he never tested it. This invention was a result of long-lasting observation of bird flights.
Canadian researcher Todd Reichert has been working for a long time to recreate an ornithopter based on Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches. In 2010, he managed to make the first-ever flight on an ornithopter and went down in world history. Learn more at itoronto.info.
Leonardo da Vinci’s ornithopter
Almost every person on the planet is familiar with the name of this outstanding Italian scientist. First of all, we know him as an artist, but his achievements didn’t end there. He was an inventor, researcher, sculptor, architect and engineer. This is far from a complete list of Leonardo da Vinci’s talents.
The genius of the Italian Renaissance made many inventions. He was also interested in flights and studied this issue quite thoroughly. In Milan, he drew and observed the flight mechanism of birds of various breeds a lot. On the basis of that material, he made experiments that weren’t successful.
Leonardo da Vinci wanted to create an engineless flying machine. At first, he wanted to make an ornithopter, which had to be driven by human muscle power. Subsequently, the scientist worked on a machine that wasn’t attached to a person, but it was supposed to be controlled by them. In fact, it is a prototype aeroplane but without an engine.
Todd Reichert’s ornithopter
According to an ancient Greek myth, Daedalus and his son Icarus dreamed of conquering the air and flying with wings like birds. They needed two pairs of large bird wings to leave Crete Island. Daedalus made wings from feathers of different sizes, similar to those of birds. He easily rose into the sky and taught his son to fly. Of course, it is difficult to imagine people flying like birds in real life. Scientists from many countries have been trying to make an engineless flying machine for many centuries.
The Canadian inventor Todd Reichert tried to complete Leonardo da Vinci’s work, using his drawings. Reichert presented the ornithopter on the airstrip of the Toronto glider club. It is a motorless aircraft that rises into the sky with the help of human muscle power.
The ornithopter is called Snow Bird and it is heavier than air. It weighs forty-three kilograms and its wingspan is thirty-two metres. Todd Reichert used graphite fibre and balsa for the construction of his invention. He used a car to accelerate the ornithopter and controlled the wings with the lever, which Reichert pushed with his feet.
Snowbird independently covered 145 metres at a speed of 25.6 kilometres per hour. The ornithopter made several successful swings and landed safely.
Todd Reichert is one of the few inventors who managed to turn the idea of the great genius Leonardo da Vinci into reality. Dozens of enthusiasts made similar attempts before, but they didn’t succeed. The Canadian inventor worked for a long time on his ornithopter to make it maintain altitude independently.
No one would refuse to have the magical power to fly like a bird. However, you need to invest a huge intellectual, time, physical and financial resources to implement this dream. Todd Reichert sacrificed a lot to reach success and show his creation to the public. Many amateurs create unique inventions in their garages but never realise their ideas to the fullest.