Answer to Question #225571 in Mechanical Engineering for john luvis

Question

Leonardo’s airplane had a wing span of approximately 7 m; the wings had a width of approximately 2 m. The rule of thumb for birds and other low-velocity flying machines is 5 kg/m2 . Would Leonardo’s plane glide?

Answer 1

It would be able to glide depending on the total mass of the airplane, but it probably would not be able to fly like birds or other modern flying contraptions$.$