Kite

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kite is a lightweight, wing-like aircraft. It is usually flown at the end of a long string held by a person on the ground. A kite is support­ed by the wind which pushes against its surface to provide lift. Stunt kites can fly turns, loops, and other acrobatic maneu­vers. There are various shapes and sizes of kites, from toy kites flown by children to kites big enough to lift a person.

The Chinese were flying kites at least

2,0 years ago and maybe even as long ago as 1000 b. c.e. In 1295, Marco Polo (1254-1324), the first European explorer known to visit China,
reported man-lifting kites there. Box kites were used in experiments by early aviation pioneers. Samuel Cody flew man-lifting kites in the 1890s, and such kites were used for observation over the battlefields of World War I (1914-1918). The Wright brothers also flew kites to test their ideas about airplanes.

Types of Kites

There are several designs of kites. A tra­ditional plane surface, or flat kite, can be made from a long stick with a shorter stick fixed crosswise at a point just above the middle. The cross-shaped frame is covered with paper, plastic, or fabric. A flat kite requires a tail for sta­bility and balance. One end of the long flying line, wound around a reel or hold­er, is fastened to a bridle, which is made from two or more lengths of string tied firmly to the kite frame. A flat kite is best launched into the wind; the person flying the kite unwinds the line and draws it taut before another person toss­es the kite into the air. With a few tugs on the line, the kite should soar upward.

The delta kite is a triangle shape that has a fabric keel instead of a string bri­dle. Delta kites are good stunt fliers. The bow kite is like a plane or flat kite, but has a curved underside, since the cross­stick is bent like an archery bow. A typ­ical bow kite is the diamond-shaped Eddy kite, named for William A. Eddy,

O Kite flying is an important and symbolic tradition in Asia, where beautiful kites have been made for centuries.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S KITE

One of the most famous and danger­ous kite flights was made by American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin in 1752. He flew a kite during a thunderstorm, having attached a metal key to the line. Franklin’s inten­tion was to demonstrate that light­ning is a form of electricity. When lightning struck a metal wire on the kite, a charge of electricity flashed down the wet line, and Franklin saw a spark from the key. The experiment had worked, but it was very danger­ous, and Franklin was lucky to have escaped with his life.

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who patented it in 1891. The box kite, invented in 1893 by Lawrence Hargrave from Australia, can be rec­tangular, triangular, or even six­sided. The parafoil kite, invented by Dominic C. Jalbert in 1963, has a parachute-like fabric structure and no rigid frame-it takes shape when it is filled with wind.

Kite flying is a popular pastime all over the world. In Afghanistan, China, and Japan, kite festivals attract large crowds to watch colorful kites in the shapes of birds, butter­flies, dragons, and fish. Musical kites, with reeds or vibrating strings, make whistling or wailing notes in the wind.

О Over the years, as aerodynamic understanding has increased, kites have developed different shapes and designs.

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SEE ALSO:

• Hang Glider • Microlight • Wright, Orville and Wilbur

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Kitty Hawk Flyer

Type: Experimental powered glider. Manufacturers: Orville and Wilbur Wright. First flight: December 17, 1903.

Use: Powered and sustained flight carrying a pilot.

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he Kitty Hawk Flyer was an air­craft that made history. It was the first airplane to make a controlled, powered flight carrying a human pas­senger. The Flyer was built by two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and took to the air on December 17, 1903, from sand hills at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.