|
 In
the year 1486, the great visionary Leonardo da Vinci set into ink and
parchment the rude design of a revolutionary "helical screw" (shown at right), which many historians and engineers argue
is the
earliest incarnation of the modern helicopter.
History may forever remain uncertain of
Leonardo's intent and the reason for his 25-year obsession with flying
machines. His futuristic invention would surely have served an innumerable
variety of purposes in his time: recreation, transportation, warfare,
logistics...
But upon closer inspection of
Leonardo's drawing, we find a curious item—one that the historians may have
missed (see below).
We see that, despite the centuries-old,
faded ink and time-bleached parchment, there is undeniably a diagram of
a dog attached to the mechanism. Thus, The Scoop believes there to
be conclusive evidence that the original purpose of the helical screw
flying machine was, in fact, to rescue dogs by airlifting them to safety.
If this were so, then Da Vinci's dream
would have been finally realized yesterday, when a terrified pig dog was
saved from a 100m (340ft.) precipice by a rescue helicopter summoned to do
the job. |
RIWAKA VALLEY (New Zealand) — "Tama", a 19-month-old pig
dog had accompanied Vince Gough on a cliff-rappelling expedition last
week at the south branch of Riwaka Valley. When the dog got stuck
on a narrow ledge, Mr. Gough called on rescue instructor Shane Baron for
assistance.
Due to the severity of the drop
("the mother of all bluffs", according to Mr. Baron), it was
three days before the men got up the nerve to attempt a rescue. In
the interim, Mr. Gough had even considered shooting Tama, so that the
dog wouldn't suffer by starvation.
Luckily for Tama, the two men decided
to try climbing down to the ledge themselves. According to the Nelson
Mail, they reached the "newspaper-sized ledge", but realized that they, themselves, had become stuck.
Not quite trusting their lives to the
ropes which they had intended to use in lowering themselves down, Mr. Baron
whipped out a cell phone and called for a helicopter. (Is that all
it takes in this day and age? Gosh, Leonardo would've been proud!)
Not long afterward, a Nelson-Marlborough
Rescue Helicopter piloted by Quentin Hulse arrived on the scene and lifted them all to safety. Mr. Baron said that after the three-day ordeal, Tama was very pleased to see his
rescuers. "He kept licking us."
And so it seems that at least one of
Leonardo da Vinci's inventions has fulfilled its imaginative purpose.
Now, if only they'd realize the true intent of Leonardo's
"flying wing".
...To play fetch with, of course.
§§§
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