An ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures.

What was the purpose of the ornithopter?

Ornithopter, machine designed to fly by the flapping of its wings in imitation of birds. The wooden bird said to have been made about 400 bc by Archytas of Tarentum is one of the earliest examples.

What was Da Vinci's ornithopter?

Leonardo da Vinci made the first real studies of flight in the 1480s. ... His ornithopter flying machine was an aircraft that would fly by flapping its wings, a design he created to show how humans could fly. It even had a sophisticated flight control system; however, this design was never built by the designer.