Landships II

James H · Legend

Photographic Kite!

CharlieC · Legend

The kites are modifications of the Cody war kite flown in a train of three - not the sort of kite you'd take the kids flying - serious amount of lift. It looks like they were using a plate camera - one image at a time.

Regards,

Charlie

James H · Legend

Blimey. I've just looked it up. Brilliant. I wouldn't mind one of those.

CharlieC · Legend

The Cody kite was used a man-lifter in British Army and Navy trials in 1901-6. The kites were able to lift an observer in a basket to a fair altitude (at least hundreds of feet).
In the end the aeroplane offered so many more advantages over kites that the kite experiments faded away.

Regards,

Charlie

James H · Legend

CharlieC wrote:

The Cody kite was used aa a man-lifter in British Army and Navy trials in 1901-6.

I thought that sort of thing was frowned upon in those days.

kieffer · Commander in Chief

Brilliant! Notice the way these poilus carry their carbines, barrel pointing downwards.

Kieffer

Rectalgia · Legend

Seems the tethered observation kites and balloons were integrated into combined motorised units in the French army - kites used when wind speeds were 8 m/s and more, balloons when it was less:

http://www.carnetdevol.org/aerophoto/militaire-va.htm includes crystal-clear shots from the YouTube clip above. Seems they employed man-lift kite trains on occasion too.

Capt Jacques Theodore Saconney, noted as commanding the automobile section, was a remarkable young officer du G�nie (of the Engineers) who had already done much to place France in the forefront of aeronautical development.

kieffer · Commander in Chief

Rectalgia wrote:

Capt Jacques Theodore Saconney, noted as commanding the automobile section, was a remarkable young officer du G�nie (of the Engineers) who had already done much to place France in the forefront of aeronautical development.

yes, in the forefront they were, remember pioneers like Montgolfier, and the famous balloons during the siege of Paris, during the Franco-Prussian War. I think it was an almost logical effect, the French army being artillery minded, if I may say so, and forward observation is essential by then. At the other hand these balloons gave way to the development of the anti aircraft guns by the Germans, culminating in the very effective 88's in ww2.

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