Leonardo and Lilienthal

Posted by John Crandall Nov 6, 2006

Leonardo da Vinci, and Otto Lilienthal have in common a close study of the flight of birds as the basis for their flying machine designs. So far as we know Leonardo never glided even a short distance on one of his designs, but Lilienthal made over 500 gliding flights before a broken wing plummeted him to his death.

At the time of his death, Lilienthal was working on a small steam engine which he hoped would power his wings in a flapping motion. Leonardo also believed that a wing flapping ornithopter would be the most logical and succesful way to produce a flying machine, and experimented with leaf springs as a flight power source. The two have very much in common in their approach to scientifically understanding and trying to produce flight.

Lilienthal also inspired the Wright Brothers by discussing "soaring flight" in which an unpowered glider properly designed could rise on air currents, and descend in a controlled flight path to a desired destination. Before their hands on approach led the Wrights to design and install a propellor they were strong believers in the soaring flight idea.