box kite
Quick Summary
A box kite is a tailless kite made of two or more connected, open-ended boxes. Developed by Lawrence Hargrave in the 1890s, the box kite was a significant advancement in kite design. Hargrave's goal was to create a kite efficient enough to move into the wind, and while he didn't achieve propulsion, his cellular kite designs proved superior and contributed to understanding flight stability.12
These kites were highly efficient and could carry substantial weight, making them useful for lifting meteorological instruments. Hargrave's box kite designs influenced early aeronautical pioneers like Alexander Graham Bell and the Wright brothers, providing a foundation for their experiments in flight.2
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Lawrence Hargrave
…of the cellular kite, or box kite, as it is now known.
Read More…of the cellular kite, or box kite, as it is now known.
Read More
kiteKite structure…inventor Lawrence Hargrave contrived the box kite, or cellular kite, as a by-product of his research to develop a stable three-dimensional lifting surface for powered manned flight. Exceptionally steady in high winds, Hargrave box kites flown in train, using flying line of piano wire, soon replaced the Eddy kite and…
Read More…inventor Lawrence Hargrave contrived the box kite, or cellular kite, as a by-product of his research to develop a stable three-dimensional lifting surface for powered manned flight. Exceptionally steady in high winds, Hargrave box kites flown in train, using flying line of piano wire, soon replaced the Eddy kite and…
Read More