Flying Machine
The Flying Machine is a glider-like vehicle invented by Leonardo da Vinci, used by Ezio Auditore da Firenze in both Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. To fly it over extended distances, Ezio needed hover over fires to gain speed and altitude. Though he is vulnerable to attacks by enemy archers while flying, Ezio can retaliate by kicking.
Venice
The first time Ezio used the Flying Machine was soon after he and Antonio attempted to find a way into the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, so as to save the doge from assassination. Upon realizing that only birds could enter the heavily-guarded palazzo, Ezio sought Leonardo's help. Initially, Leonardo had thought that he would not be able to find someone brave enough to test his machine, until Ezio volunteered. The first attempt failed, as the flying machine was barely able to stay in flight for a few seconds, and Leonardo cursed it, throwing the plans for the machine into his fireplace. However, this inspired Leonardo, as he saw the paper levitating above the fire, buoyed by the hot air. He suspected that the flying machine could work in the same manner. The local Thieves Guild set up fires all over the city, and Ezio floated over them to make his way to the palazzo.
Valnerina
The flying machine was also incorporated in Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, during one of four side missions involving Leonardo's war machines. On one of these missions, Ezio needed to destroy an improved version of the flying machine, referred to as a Bomber. This advanced model had an incendiary cannon attached to it, which allowed Ezio to both attack and set fires on the ground to keep the machine in the air. Additionally, as the machine was originally designed for the Borgia forces, it had their crest painted on both wings.
In order to prevent his enemies from obtaining the machine, Ezio needed to infiltrate the base where the Borgia were planning to mass-produce the design. After stealing one of the few working models of the machine, Ezio then flew over all the Borgia workshops, where they were attempting to manufacture various other weapons for their wars across Europe, and set them on fire. Ezio also used the machine to attack any wagons that attempted to bring salvaged materials from the workshops to the safety of the fortress, as well as a single mounted messenger who attempted to alert Cesare Borgia of the attack. Finally, after ensuring that the design would not be used by the Borgia, Ezio crashed the machine he had been using into a tower and destroyed it.
Trivia
- The flying machine, just like the drawings of the real-life Leonardo da Vinci, has a shape that resembles a bat.
- Leonardo stated that the machine was not designed to be "lighter than air," but to instead allow the user to use their 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 manner Ezio used it.
- A guard in Venice referred to the Flying Machine as a "flying demon," as no one had ever seen a man flying before.
- In history, it was said that one person (a pupil of Leonardo's) did fly the machine during the Renaissance, but ended up with a broken leg.
- In the Battle for Forlì downloadable content pack for Assassin's Creed II, Ezio can use the flying machine at any time, though it is not directly involved in any other mission after its use in Venice. This was likely added as another opportunity to gain the "Fly Swatter" achievement/trophy.
- A small model of the machine can be purchased as an avatar prop for Xbox 360 avatars via Microsoft points
- The model of the Flying Machine in the Assassins Guild is not modelled after the one that appears in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood; it is actually modelled after the original Flying Machine that features in Assassin's Creed II.
- Successfully using and destroying the Bomber gains the player the "Boom!" achievement/trophy.
Video
thumb|400px|left|Flying machine sequence of Assassin's Creed II shown at the E3 2009.