Powered by an internal combustion engine using gunpowder, it flew 70 meters in a demonstration to the French Academy of Sciences. Simpler ornithopters, powered by rubber bands, were soon developed, and today they compete in national and international contests. Some ornithopters, like Sean Kinkade's VT2 shown here, are radio-controlled. All are fascinating to design and build because of the endless possible variations. While the first manned ornithopter may not be far off, unmanned aircraft are increasingly important.
Small ornithopters have commercial applications such as surveillance, bird control, and recreation.
In the future, ornithopters will have improved performance and greater functionality. New technologies could power these ornithopters with no need for cumbersome motors and gears.