Kite Research and Information...
Kites have been around for a long time. The first recorded account of a kite was in 200 B.C. when the Chinese General Han Hsin of the Han Dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city he was attacking to measure how far his army would have to tunnel to reach past the defenses.
Types of Single Line Kites:
1. The Sled Kite
2. The Diamond Kite
3. The Barn Door Kite
4. The Rokkaku Kite
5. The Sode Kite
6. The Delta Kite
7. The Roler Kite
8. The Dopero Kite
Information from: http://www.my-best-kite.com/types-of-kites.html and http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html
Types of Single Line Kites:
1. The Sled Kite
2. The Diamond Kite
3. The Barn Door Kite
4. The Rokkaku Kite
5. The Sode Kite
6. The Delta Kite
7. The Roler Kite
8. The Dopero Kite
Information from: http://www.my-best-kite.com/types-of-kites.html and http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html
Kites: A History
Kites go back way before even hot air balloons and aircrafts. Although not everybody has flown one, kites have become a world wide part of history. They became very popular in Japan during the Edo Period when the people below the Samurai class were first allowed to fly one. The ruler there tried quite unsuccessfully to discourage flying them as a pastime because people were becoming unmindful of their work.
Marco Polo carried stories of the kite around Europe near the end of the thirteenth century. Illustrations of the period show non-flying dragon kites on military banners.
Sailors also brought kites back from Japan and Malaysia in the 16th and 17th
centuries. Kites were regarded as curiosities at first and had little impact on
European culture.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, kites were used as vehicles and tools for
scientific research.
Men like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Wilson used their knowledge of kite
flying to learn more about the wind and weather. Sir George Caley, Samuel
Langley, Lawrence Hargrave, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers all
experimented with kites and contributed to development of the airplane. The US Weather service flew kites designed by William Eddy and Lawrence
Hargraves to raise meteorological instruments and cameras. One of the strangest uses of kite power was developed by schoolmaster George
Pocock. In 1822, he used a pair of kites to pull a carriage at speeds of up to
20 miles per hour. Some of his kite trips were recorded at over 100 miles. And
because road taxes at the time were based on the number of horses a carriage
used, he was exempted from any tolls!
During World War I, the British, French, Italian, and Russian armies all used
kites for enemy observation and signaling. The introduction of airplanes
quickly made these units obsolete. The German Navy continued to use man-lifting
box kites to increase the viewing range of surface-cruising submarines.
In World War II, the US Navy found several uses for kites. Harry Saul's
Barrage Kite prevented airplanes from flying too low over targets. Pilots lost
at sea raised the Gibson-Girl Box kite so they could be found. And Paul
Garber's Target Kite, a large steerable Diamond was used for target practice
and aircraft recognition at sea. As the airplane became firmly established the kite was used less for military
purposes or scientific research and more for recreational flying.
The last 50 years has seen renewed interest in kiting. New materials like
ripstop nylon, fiberglass, and carbon graphite have made kites stronger,
lighter, more colorful, and more durable. Important inventions like Francis
Rogallo's flexi-wing and Domina Jalbert's parafoil kites helped develop modern
hang-gliders and sport parachutes.
Information from: http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html
Marco Polo carried stories of the kite around Europe near the end of the thirteenth century. Illustrations of the period show non-flying dragon kites on military banners.
Sailors also brought kites back from Japan and Malaysia in the 16th and 17th
centuries. Kites were regarded as curiosities at first and had little impact on
European culture.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, kites were used as vehicles and tools for
scientific research.
Men like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Wilson used their knowledge of kite
flying to learn more about the wind and weather. Sir George Caley, Samuel
Langley, Lawrence Hargrave, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers all
experimented with kites and contributed to development of the airplane. The US Weather service flew kites designed by William Eddy and Lawrence
Hargraves to raise meteorological instruments and cameras. One of the strangest uses of kite power was developed by schoolmaster George
Pocock. In 1822, he used a pair of kites to pull a carriage at speeds of up to
20 miles per hour. Some of his kite trips were recorded at over 100 miles. And
because road taxes at the time were based on the number of horses a carriage
used, he was exempted from any tolls!
During World War I, the British, French, Italian, and Russian armies all used
kites for enemy observation and signaling. The introduction of airplanes
quickly made these units obsolete. The German Navy continued to use man-lifting
box kites to increase the viewing range of surface-cruising submarines.
In World War II, the US Navy found several uses for kites. Harry Saul's
Barrage Kite prevented airplanes from flying too low over targets. Pilots lost
at sea raised the Gibson-Girl Box kite so they could be found. And Paul
Garber's Target Kite, a large steerable Diamond was used for target practice
and aircraft recognition at sea. As the airplane became firmly established the kite was used less for military
purposes or scientific research and more for recreational flying.
The last 50 years has seen renewed interest in kiting. New materials like
ripstop nylon, fiberglass, and carbon graphite have made kites stronger,
lighter, more colorful, and more durable. Important inventions like Francis
Rogallo's flexi-wing and Domina Jalbert's parafoil kites helped develop modern
hang-gliders and sport parachutes.
Information from: http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html