The prone-pilot flying machine and its driving gear
A windlass-and-pulley mechanism worked by arms and legs, with a fir-pole landing ladder
The prone flying machine. Leonardo draws the driving device twice and explains how the pilot, lying face-down, works the wings: with one pair, the arms raise them by a windlass while a pair of kicks brings them down; with two pairs, the legs lower one set while the hand-windlass raises the other, the hands also steering force left and right. He notes that this instrument turns the pull in the little wheel lettered M and reaches to the feet, and that in place of the feet a light three-pole fir ladder, ten braccia long, is used. A small marginal sketch at lower right is captioned as landing gear.
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Prone pilot beating one or two pairs of wings (M)
The machine can be built with one pair of wings or two. With one, the arms raise the wings by a windlass and a pair of kicks brings them down with force; with two pairs, the stretching legs lower one set while the hand-windlass lifts the other, and turning the hands steers the force to right or left. This instrument works like the large one seen from the back, except that it turns the pull in the little wheel M and reaches down to the feet.
Clearing the weight from the pulleys
A short note states that when the weight comes near the pulleys, it is pushed clear with poles or a lever. It attends to the hoisting frame drawn at the top of the sheet. The remark keeps the load from fouling the sheaves.
A fir-pole ladder as landing gear
In place of the feet, a ladder is made in three parts of three fir poles, light and thin, ten braccia long. A marginal note captions a small sketch at lower right as landing gear. It appears drawn like a slender legged frame.