Flying above the clouds; the sinews of an artificial wing
Safety in height, righting a struck wing, and the wing's tie-tendons
Leonardo advises that the bird (his flying machine) should always travel above the clouds, both to keep the wing dry and to survey more country and escape the whirling winds among mountain gorges; and if it turns upside down there is ample time to right it before it reaches the ground (text 1). He then gives a remedy for a wing-tip struck from below by the wind, which threatens to overturn the machine (text 2). The lower half of the sheet turns to construction: a drawing of the articulated joint of an artificial wing labelled 'maschereccio', and a system of tie-tendons a b c d above and e f g h below, made equally strong so the structure resists whether the bird is upright or overturned (texts 3-4). Pen sketches of a bird, a jointed wing, and a crossed tie diagram (marked c) run down the right side.
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Fly above the clouds for dryness, view, and safety
The bird's flight should always be above the clouds, so the wing does not get wet, to survey more country, and to escape the danger of the whirling winds among mountain gorges, which are always full of gusts and eddies. If the bird should turn upside down there is ample time to right it with the orders already given before it falls to earth.
Righting a wing-tip struck from below
If the wing-tip is struck by the wind and the wind enters beneath it, the bird is in danger of being overturned unless it uses one of two remedies: either it immediately turns that tip downwind, or it lowers the opposite wing from the middle outward.
Tie-tendons a b c d and e f g h of the wing
The tendons a b c d above serve to raise the wing and are made as strong as the tendons e f g h below, so that they resist above as well as below in case the bird overturns; though a single thick, wide maschereccio might suffice, the matter is left to experience. A drawing shows the jointed articulation of the artificial wing labelled 'maschereccio'.