THE FALLING LEAF

It didn’t escape Leonardo’s notice that sheets of paper and autumn leaves don’t just fall straight down, but flutter back and forth as they drop slowly. What, he wondered, if a person hung beneath a large cloth wing and steered it by shifting their weight? Could it be controlled? Leonardo almost certainly made a model of this idea. The pilot of this little model can’t shift his own weight, but he does flutter.

1 Fold Brackets (2) and (3), line up the creases with the lines on Wing (1), and glue them into place.

2 Use a round toothpick to roll and glue Axle Part (4). Remove the toothpick.

3 Glue together Pilot Parts (5) and (6).

4 Slip the Pilot between the two Brackets. Pass the Axle through all three holes, and glue it into place with small dabs on the outside. Make sure the Pilot can move freely!

5 All done!

To fly the Falling Leaf, hold it up gently as shown, and drop it.