Leonardo Da Vinci’s Helicopter (Aerial Screw)

Though the first helicopter wasn’t built til the 1940s, it is presumed that Leonardo had been making sketches that relate to what is known today as the helicopter. He never tested it out but he had invented a way for it to operate and work. He set the foundation for the creation of helicopters. The screw would make a spiral in the air as it spun around, this screw is also known as the helical air screw. This airscrew was designed to compress air in order to achieve flight.

Da Vinci’s helicopter sketch had a diameter of more than fifteen feet it was to be made of reed (strong grasslike plants, similar to wood). The top of the aerial screw was flat creating a lift.

The bible verse that connects to this project to the bible is Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”The reason that this bible verse is connected with this project is that God knows everything and if we want to find out even the smallest information than you must go to God for help. This bible verses also tells us that God knows all and that he is willing to give us this information if you only ask. This will also not saying that when ever you ask for something that God will come and tell you immediately because God does not work that way and that sometimes you must try and fail and try again over and over till you finally achieve your goals. This also entails that their are somethings that God does not want us to know yet because he has not told us yet however there is a time where He will reveal his great creation to all of us.

First we have to understand who Leonardo Da Vinci was. Leonardo Da Vinci was an Italian painter, draftsman, architecture, sculpter, and an engineer. He was a genius and he pursued so many professions that his work can be seen in many fields and one of them is how we design machines to fly. He is well known as one of the best painters of his era and is most known as the painter of the Mona Lisa (one of the most famous paintings of all time). However in this project is more focused on one of his designs that he made in his conquest to achieve flight.

The reason that this project is connected into the renaissance is because the inventor was Leonardo Da Vinci who was one of the most influential person of the era. This also connects with the era was because the design of the machine and many others were drawn in this time period. Leonardo is also one of the most famous people from the time period and was a truly influential person in this time period.
Leonardo’s idea in this experiment he had created was too propose the idea that air is a fluid that can be compressed or leaned on in able to push off the ground by pushing the air down. The aerial screw is bigger than it actually sounds, approximately just the outer edge of the screw is a thick wire with a radius of over twelve feet long. If the screw were rotated quickly it would properly penetrate the air allowing the machine to rise. The machine would not work for a long time, it would only lasted a short amount of time off the ground if it would lift off the ground at all. “The aerial screw is therefore propelled by a spring, which the operators must wind clockwise. Once it has reached maximum tension, the spring has enough energy to make the screw spin rapidly and forcefully in a counterclockwise direction. It is released from its base and takes flight for a few seconds.”

The scientific concept of this invention is to test the ability to be able to take captive the different ways of compressing air to allow an object to lift off of the ground. The screw allows for the air to be compressed and the air to be pushed down so that the pressure of air being pushed down is enough to allow the object to lift off. This invention may not have been revolutionary in the time period during which it was made, but has had an an influence on what is today called the Helicopter. Today you can say that the helicopter wings on top that enable them to lift off the ground deviate from Da Vinci’s idea of the aerial screw. If it were not for Leonardo Da Vinci creating the aerial screw you may not see those flying objects in the air with propellers flying around up above in the sky.

The general interest for Leonardo Da Vinci’s aerial screw was due to the vital fascination of the progression of flying objects throughout various centuries leading up to where we stand today. We have always had a long appreciation for the evolution of flying objects throughout various centuries of life. Flying machines have been a huge part of the world, for instance during World War One and World War Two flying aircrafts were used, and today to travel across the seas and states. Aircrafts are also used all around to world to transport people and items to all around the world. Also with today's air travel the world is getting smaller and smaller for people to travel the world.

The outcome of this invention is that it will not last long enough in the air to be an actual flying machine. The aerial screw was a great invention created by the man himself Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci was able to evolutionize flying machines that we still use today. For example his design of the Aerial Screw has massively impacted on how helicopters are made and the mechanics behind their functionality.

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