Leonardo da Vinci was an engineer who invented a flying machine.
Leonardo da Vinci . He conceptualised flying machines , a type of armoured fighting vehicle , concentrated solar power , an adding machine , and the double hull . Some of his smaller inventions , however , such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire , entered the world of manufacturing unheralded . A number of Leonardo 's most practical inventions are nowadays displayed as working models at the Museum of Vinci .