Ornithopter, << `awr` nuh THOP tuhr, >> is a machine designed to fly by flapping its wings like a bird. People have dreamed of such a vehicle since ancient times. Some small-scale models have flown. But all attempts to build ornithopters that carry people on a regular basis have failed, because materials that are light enough and strong enough have not been developed.
Ornithopters are classified in two ways. The first type relies on a person’s muscles to flap the wings. The second type uses an engine to power the wings. The English philosopher Roger Bacon suggested the idea of the ornithopter about 1250.
