Leonardo da Vinci Helicopter "Aerial Screw"

One of Leonardo da Vinci's most iconic images, the Aerial Screw (also known as the Helicopter) illustrates the ingenuity of da Vinci, and indicates (along with many other drawings!) his obsession with flying. While this idea may never have got off the ground, for some basic technical reasons, it gave us insights into the different ways in which da Vinci considered the challenge of human powered flying, and defines him as an inventor well ahead of his time.

While it is often referred to as a helicopter, the premise of the lift to make it rise is more like Archimedes’ screw than the rotors of a modern helicopter. Pathfinders  model uses one of the bevel gears he drew in his codices and creates a nice 2 to 1 increase in speed of the crankshaft, so the mast spins quickly, illustrating the manner in which this machine would have worked.

Leonardo da Vinci Aerial Screw is a fantastic kit for beginner to advanced model makers! This is a great way to learn about gears, flight and to bring da Vinci’s iconic drawing to life. Takes between 1 and 3 hours to make. (Glue has to dry!) This is a great project that works well and looks really cool on the shelf!

Recommended for ages 9+.