Remember this?

[Stephen1918]

I've been slowly converting all of my FE1 installs into FE2 and I came across this from 6 or 7 years ago. (Yes, I'm bragging.)

Edited Monday at 06:41 PM by Stephen1918
typo

[whiteknight06604]

this looks a little different from the DaVinci flyer I have. Looks great.

[VonS]

Nice to see the Da Vinci Flyer again, Stephen. I have your variant installed with the simpler tail - video link included below.

Cheers all,

 

Edited Monday at 10:36 PM by VonS
Embedded link.

[Stephen1918]

I kind of went down a rabbit hole with the Da Vinci flyer after VonS made a better FM for it. (Thanks, by the way.) I made several versions of the flyer, one had a musket and one dropped bombs. I started thinking of a whole Renaissance alternate history war. I made a Da Vinci tank and some 15th Century cannon; I started working on ground objects for a terrain; I started making decals for different factions. Then I realized that all you could do was fly around and look at it. It would be very hard to shoot down an opponent with a single shot musket. So I abandoned the project.

But it's still fun to fly. I spent this afternoon flying it around.

Nice video!

Edited Tuesday at 02:33 AM by Stephen1918

[Coupi]

Very pretty model !!! 

[Flanker562]

I mean it's probably the oddest dogfight I've seen ever in a flight simulator.

[HvitiVikingurrin]

On 6/23/2026 at 5:27 AM, Stephen1918 said:

It would be very hard to shoot down an opponent with a single shot musket.

Perhaps a shotgun would have done a better job! As for “air-to-ground” operations, given the level of grenade technology at the time, such a “flyer” - much like a pigeon - could only have defecated insultingly on the heads of the poor landsknechts.

 

And here, by the way, is the answer to the question of why we need highly detailed models (which in other cases can slow down the game). They’re needed for free flight - for the sheer pleasure of it and to admire the external views - as well as for creating great screenshots or videos.

Edited Wednesday at 06:20 AM by HvitiVikingurrin

[gterl]

Hudson Hawk

[whiteknight06604]

hey a box of iron darts opened over some troops could be very effective. as for air-to-air options would be limited, crossbow blunderbuss etc. but rate of fire would make them rather limited. maybe some sort of organ gun but weight would be a severe issue. possibly a "roman candle" type of weapon or Chinese style firework rockets? ground troops might counter these flyers with similar rockets or kites lol 

Edited Thursday at 04:31 PM by whiteknight06604

[Stephen1918]

I had one that could drop two Fliegermaus (Gr16) grenades which worked well against ground troops.

To get better dogfight action I like your idea of rockets - perhaps a couple of Le Prieur rockets? 

[VonS]

Interesting thread development gents'. To save weight and improve rate of fire - perhaps the two biggest problems for a Da Vinci Flyer - I went down a bit of a rabbit-hole and dropped a question to Gemini/Google AI on the topic (June 25, 2026) --- see below for question and response.

Good Renaissance-era flying to you,

 

---

Topic: Hurdy-Gurdy Stiletto Organ Gun

VonS question:

Providing that you are aware of the Renaissance volley or "organ" gun - would it be possible to devise a hand-cranked hurdy-gurdy as a kind of spring (loaded) weapon that shoots out slim, Renaissance-era daggers/stilettos?

Gemini response:

Yes, it is conceptually possible to design a weaponized hurdy-gurdy that operates like a spring-loaded Renaissance volley gun (organ gun or ribauldequin). By replacing the traditional musical components with a rotating barrel or magazine and using the hand-crank to compress heavy-duty springs, you can create a mechanical weapon that fires stilettos in rapid succession.

The Mechanical Blueprint:

To turn an 11th-century stringed instrument into a Renaissance weapon, the musical architecture must be repurposed for mechanical ballistics.

The Hand-Crank (The Power Source):

Instead of turning a rosined wheel to vibrate strings, the crank turns a central camshaft. This cam sequentially draws back heavy, individual leaf or coil springs for each firing chamber.

The Wheel (The Camshaft & Cylinder):

The large wheel is replaced by a rotating cylinder—similar to a multi-barrel volley gun. As the cylinder rotates, it aligns each dagger chamber with the firing line.

The Keybox (The Firing Mechanism):

On a standard hurdy-gurdy, keys press tangents against strings to change notes. In this weaponized version, the "keys" act as individual triggers or sears. Pressing a key releases a compressed spring, launching the stiletto from that specific slot.

The Ammo Magazine (The Renaissance Stilettos):

Stilettos are uniquely suited for this design. Their slender, needle-like, triangular blades fit perfectly into narrow, barrel-like slots where a traditional instrument's strings would run.

Engineering Challenges & Realities:

While visually spectacular for fantasy or steampunk settings, a real-world build faces severe physics constraints.

Spring Fatigue vs. Human Strength:

To throw a heavy steel dagger with lethal force, the springs must be incredibly stiff. A human hand-cranking a small handle would lack the mechanical advantage to compress multiple heavy springs quickly without a massive, slow-moving gear reduction system.

Aerodynamics:

Stilettos are designed for thrusting in close combat, not throwing. Without flight fletching (like an arrow) or spin-stabilization (like a rifle bullet), a launched stiletto would tumble in the air, ruining its accuracy and impact force.

The Weight Distribution:

Organ guns were notoriously heavy and required wheeled carriages. Shifting that firepower into a handheld, torso-braced instrument would make it incredibly front-heavy and exhausting to aim.

Historical Inspiration:

If you are writing a story or designing a game weapon, you can anchor this concept in real Renaissance engineering.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Designs:

Da Vinci famously drew multi-barreled 33-barrel organ guns and rapid-fire crossbow mechanisms that relied on heavy gears and cranks.

Spring-Driven Automata:

The Renaissance saw a massive boom in complex clockwork and spring-driven novelties. Scaling this technology up to weapon deployment fits the exact spirit of 16th-century experimental engineering.

---

 

Edited Friday at 08:55 AM by VonS
Fixed typos.

[HvitiVikingurrin]

20 hours ago, Stephen1918 said:

To get better dogfight action I like your idea of rockets - perhaps a couple of Le Prieur rockets

I don't think that would solve the problem of the pilot's accuracy. Rockets themselves had been known in China and India for a very long time - probably even in da Vinci's day. But before the invention of the electric fuse, firing rockets would have been impossible for a "flyer". His hands are busy controlling the aircraft, and he would have had to reach for a tinderbox, strike a spark with a steel flint against flint to make the tinder smolder and ignite the shavings (all while in the wind!). Then he’d have to bring the smoldering tinder to the rocket’s fuse and, in the few seconds while the fuse was burning, put away the tinderbox, regain control of the vehicle, and aim the missile at the target. And miss with almost 100% certainty! 

After all, the rocket would have flown anywhere but toward the target.

Even Colonel Congreve’s rockets (mentioned in the U.S. National Anthem) were notoriously inaccurate - that was the early 19th century, not the 15th or early 16th century. And the Le Prieur rockets weren’t exactly models of accuracy either.

Although, if we give our imaginations free rein, why not? 

Edited Friday at 01:09 PM by HvitiVikingurrin