MY NAME IS LEONARDO.
DO YOU LIKE THE PICTURE I’M PAINTING?
I’M A PAINTER. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I BEGAN PRACTICING: FROM DRAWING AND COLORING SMALL AND LARGE CANVASES, TO FRESCOING ENTIRE WALLS WITH MY CREATIONS!
I’M ALSO AN INVENTOR: INDEED, I’M TRULY CURIOUS!
I LOVE OBSERVING EVERYTHING AROUND ME AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS WORK. TO DO THIS, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AROUND AND WRITING DOWN EVERYTHING THAT STRIKES ME THE MOST. THAT’S HOW I COME UP WITH A LOT OF IDEAS!
I’M FASCINATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF WATER, BY THE HUMAN BODY AND ALSO BY BIRDS.
WHEN I LOOK AT THEM, I ALWAYS THINK: WHO KNOWS WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO TAKE FLIGHT AND SOAR THROUGH THE SKY LIKE THAT?
I DECIDED TO STUDY THE AIR IN WHICH BIRDS MOVE, AND THE WIND AND HOW IT BLOWS.
WHEN THE WIND IS STRONG, IT LIFTS THE LEAVES UP; WHEN IT BLOWS LIGHTLY, IT SUSPENDS THEM AND MAKES THEM DANCE.
I’VE BUILT A NUMBER OF MODELS IMITATING BIRD WINGS: BY TYING TOGETHER LIGHT AND FLEXIBLE STICKS, I’VE MANAGED TO CREATE SMALL, FAKE WINGS, AND I WAS ABLE TO STUDY THEM CLOSELY.
I’VE MADE MY DECISION: I WILL BUILD FLYING MACHINES THAT ALLOW ME TO MOVE THROUGH THE AIR, LIKE BIRDS DO!
I CAREFULLY OBSERVE THE WAY IN WHICH BATS FLY. THEY ARE FLYING MAMMALS WITH LIGHT AND POWERFUL WINGS. MY MACHINE WILL BE MADE OF WOOD AND IT WILL HAVE TWO LARGE WINGS!
ORNITHOPTER
I’LL CALL IT AN ORNITHOPTER. A FUNNY NAME, DON’T YOU AGREE?
I DESIGNED A SMALL, LIGHT WOODEN AIRCRAFT WITH BIG WINGS, IT EVEN HAS A TAIL!
I IMAGINE THAT A PERSON, THE PILOT, CAN STAND OR SIT WHILE PILOTING IT, MAKING THE BIG WINGS MOVE UP AND DOWN.
IF YOU OBSERVE TWO MAPLE SEEDS FALLING, THEY SEEM TO FLY, TWISTING CONTINUOUSLY.
MAYBE, I COULD INVENT A FLYING MACHINE THAT REPRODUCES SUCH A MOVEMENT...
I THOUGHT AND THOUGHT, AND CAME UP WITH THE AERIAL SCREW! BEAUTIFUL, ISN’T IT? SCREW AERIAL
I NEVER GET TIRED OF THINKING, WRITING, DESIGNING AND BUILDING... AS SOON AS I FINISH ONE MACHINE, IT LEADS ME TO UNDERSTAND MANY THINGS
I WILL NEED FOR THE NEXT ONE!
FOR EXAMPLE, THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE A PARACHUTE, RIGHT? I INVENTED A STRUCTURE ENTIRELY COVERED IN VERY LIGHT LINEN...
AS YOU DESCEND, THE AIR GATHERS INSIDE THE STRUCTURE AND HELPS TO BREAK THE FALL.
UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF MY FLYING MACHINES HAVE EVER ALLOWED ANYONE TO FLY HIGH IN THE SKY.
EVEN WHEN THEY GO WRONG, EXPERIMENTS’ RESULTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT, AS THEY HELP TO IMPROVE FUTURE PROJECTS. NEVER GIVE UP!