Zoo saw an ornithopter at the Canadian Air and Space Museum.What is it? an aircraft which flaps its wings; it is birdlike but not a copy of a bird
Who thought of it? Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), who was inspired by birds, drew sketches of "flying machines" and some were ornithopters. This is an actual Da Vinci sketch.
Who built the first ornithopter? Gustav Trouve (France) built a model in 1870 which flew 70m with an internal combustion engine.
Who built the first human-powered ornithopter?
Alexandre Pippisch (Germany)
Why don't we see ornithopters today?
Are there any working ornithopters? A team in Toronto led by James DesLaurier built a 24-horse power ornithopter and flew it 2006 for 14 seconds at 88 km/hr covering 330 metres.
Would Da Vinci's ornithopter fly if it were built from his drawing?
What is the difference between an ornithopter and a helicopte
r?
r?Terms: aerodynamics, copter, orni, heli,
Sources:
Learn about Leonardi Da Vinci at Wikipedia
Learn about ornithopters at Wikipedia
