Flying Machine

The 'Flying Machine' is a glider-like vehicle invented by Leonardo da Vinci to be used by Ezio in Assassin's Creed II. Ezio is able to attack enemies while flying by kicking, but he can also be hit by enemy archers. The Flying Machine is used in one mission only and you need to hover over fire lit by the thieves to gain speed and altitude.

The Palazzo Ducale
The first time Ezio used the flying machine is when he and Antonio tried to find a way inside the Palazzo Ducale in order to save the doge from assassination. Leonardo thought he wouldn't find his daredevil to even try out the machine, until Ezio proposed to do so. The first attempt failed and Leonardo cursed the machine, throwing the plans into his fireplace. This inspired Leonardo as he saw the paper levitating above the fire. He thought the flying machine would work in the same manner. The Thieves Guild set up fire all over the city and Ezio floated over it to find his way to the palazzo. An advanced model is used in Assassins Creed Brotherhood which seems to have the ability to flap its wings to gain altitude rather than using fire.

Other use
The flying machine becomes available for free use in the DLC, Battle for Forli, but is not directly involved in any mission after its use in Venice.

The flying machine is a confirmed tool available for use in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.

Trivia

 * The Flying Machine, just like the drawings Leonardo made, has a shape that resembles a bat.
 * It is quite strange that the Flying Machine can hold Ezio's weight while flying, although Leonardo stated that it was designed not to be "lighter than air", but for the user to use his/her weight to control the direction and momentum of the machine. In reality, this kind of flight might not be possible, or at least not in the way Ezio uses it.
 * A guard in Venice referred to the Flying Machine as a "Flying Demon", because no one had ever seen a man flying before.
 * In history, it was said that one person (Leonardo's Pupil) did fly it during the Renaissance, but ended up with a broken leg.
 * In the Battle for Forli DLC Ezio can use the Flying Machine at any time. This was added to get the achievement for kicking a guard off a building, in case you didn't manage to do it in Venice.
 * A small model of the machine can be purchased as an avatar prop for Xbox 360 avatars via Microsoft points.
 * Screen_shot_2010-10-08_at_7.55.15_PM.png recent screenshots, the Flying Machine in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood appears to have a cannon on top, above Ezio's head and it also appears to have more bird-like wings.
 * The Advanced Flying machine has Borgia emblems on its wings.
 * It's possible that the Advanced Flying Machine will be called the Bomber given that it's now a Borgia weapon and destroying the Bomber is one of the achievements.

Video
thumb|400px|left|Flying machine sequence of Assassin's Creed II shown at the E3 2009.