AFAIK he was also a mystic of a kind and what we would call a "fringe scienctist" in today language. Which makes a curious case when such a character actually builds serious sophisticated working products like cutting-edge airplane designs. The latter leading to a clue that his theories may be worth exploring (they still can be wrong, but there is a chance of finding some interesting food for thought there). Another example of an inventor of similar kind coming into my mind obviously is Nikola Tesla.