Few of us are aquatinted with the fact that it was originally the Renaissance stalwart – Leonardo da Vinci, who was the first to conceive the idea of vertical-flight machine. In reverence to the versatile genius, a 75-year-old Japanese, Gennai Yanagisawa, who has designed world’s smallest helicopter, would launch it from Vinci’s birthplace. Yanagisawa is all set for the demonstration flight of his one-man helicopter in the city of Vinci, near Florence, in Italy on May 25.

Confirmed by a Guinness World Records spokeswoman, the helicopter designed by Yanagisawa is the smallest with respect to rotor length (just 13 feet) and weight. In late 1990s, he generated the GEN H-4 model with footrest, handle bar, rotors, and chairs. This four-engine helicopter featured two rotators turning in opposite direction. It is capable of a 30-minute flight at a top-speed of 56 miles per hour.

Yanagisawa’s inspiration: da Vinci’s 1493 ornithopter

With a weight of 165 pound, Yanagisawa’s miniature helicopter can rise up to 165 yards. However, Yanagisawa would be flying 16.5 feet above the ground during his demo flight, so that people can watch him and enjoy the flight.