Flights of Fancy: Leonardo's Flying Machines  Have you ever
wondered how a bird flies? Have you ever run around mimicking a
bird, flapping your arms, willing yourself to take off? Leonardo
did. Well, we're not sure that he actually ran around, although
that is fun to imagine. But it was his love for birds that
provided a major source of inspiration for his endeavor to
master the art of human flight. He thought that to understand
how a bird flies would provide the key that would enable man to
take to the air.  So what did Leonardo learn from birds?  They
Make It Look So Easy  Leonardo's study of birds was extensive
and obsessive. Notebooks that he kept over many years show pages
and pages of observations and drawings, detailing every aspect
of a bird's flight. He made detailed anatomical drawings of a
bird's body and wings. He observed the subtle movements of the
wings in flight, the reaction of the wings against different
wind conditions, and how a bird can drop from the sky and dive
to the ground or remain s