The Flying Machine

Leonardo da Vinci's attempts to fly with his machines were not without incident, as the following accidents will show.

• The first attempt at flight involved a large wooden frame, a set of canvas wings, and a rather fetching set of leather straps. Unfortunately, it also involved a rather large crash landing in the nearby river Arno.
• The second attempt at flight involved a lighter-than-air balloon, which promptly burst, leaving the good doctor to plummet to the ground with a rather unpleasant thud.
• The third attempt at flight involved a series of rather flapping wings, which, while aerodynamic, were also quite prone to getting tangled in the nearby cypress trees.

Despite these setbacks, da Vinci persisted in his quest for flight, driven by his unwavering optimism and a healthy dose of hubris.

For more on da Vinci's other, less aerial endeavors, click here to see our collection of works on his artistic endeavors.

Or, if you're feeling rather morose, see our collection of his more, ahem, unfortunate experiments.