First Test of a da Vinci Parachute

Adrian Nicholas was a British skydiver. As Leonardo da Vinci's design for the parachute was never tested, Nicholas wanted to confirm the theory. Katarina Ollikainen (his girlfriend) constructed a prototype based off of Leonardo da Vinci's sketch, even utilizing only period accurate tools and materials.  The parachute was in the shape of a 24 ft by 24 ft square-based pyramid. The four sides were to be covered in sealed linen. Against the skeptisism from experts, Nicholas attempted the jump from a hot-air balloon at almost 10,000 feet. The only fear was with the landing, with the concern that the 187 pound device would crush him. Because of this, he allowed himself to fall with da Vinci's parachute until he reached about 2000 feet, then cut himself free and deployed a modern parachute for the landing. He commented that the da Vinci device had a smoother ride than modern day parachutes. Also interesting: after being thrown away, the device floated to the ground, only sustaining minor damages on impact. A quote from Nicholas was "It took one of the greatest minds who ever lived to design it, but it took 500 years to find a man with a brain small enough to actually go and fly it."

Sources and Image Source:
Leonardo Da Vinci's Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.davincilife.com/davincis-parachute.html
Adrian Nicholas Proves Da Vinci Chute Works. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dropzone.com/articles/news/adrian-nicholas-proves-da-vinci-c...
Orton, D. C. (2004, March 29). Parachute. Retrieved from http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/leonardo/parachute.html