Leonardian Rotating Aerial Screw

This drawing comes from the Manuscripts of France B folio 33v, where Leonardo conceives a new model of machine for flight. The concept of screwing in the air reveals Leonardo's understanding of air as a fluid similar to water, which can be grasped and used as a support. In Leonardo the concept of the endless screw is evident, which is found in his other inventions, inspired by the Archimedean screw or the Windmills. In this case, imagine a huge screw about 10 meters in diameter, pushed by the force of 4 men and which should screw and rise into the air. more than its actual functioning, this machine reveals a new intuition of Leonardo who imagines what later would have been the propeller of airplanes or even more so that of helicopters that exploits vertical flight. Dimensions 21 x 17.5 x 21 Gr. 75 N. Components 18