What
is a kite?
A kite is
a heavier-than-air tethered aircraft kept up aloft by the wind.
A kite generally has three important characteristics: -
A structure designed to gain lift from the wind.
A flying line or tether. This prevents the kite from blowing away.
A bridle to direct the face of the kite at the correct angle in
order for the wind to lift it. A bridle consists of a number of
separate lines attached directly to the kite. The bridle lines
are connected to each other and then to the tether.
How long
has the kite been with us?
The kite has
been with us for more than 2500 years.
What
are kites used for?
Apart from
recreational purposes the kite has been used for signalling over
long distances, military observation, fishing, measuring, lifting
people and objects and in scientific weather research.
It was influential
in the creation of the aeroplane.
Most people
believe that kites were first made and flown by people in China
over 1000 years ago. Silk was being produced in China as early
as 2600 B.C. The first kites were made using this silk and bamboo
cane, which was plentiful in China at the time.
Who invented
the first kite?
It is difficult
to really know who developed the very first kite but it is thought
to be a Chinese engineer called Kungshu Phan who lived in the
fourth century B.C. He is credited with inventing a wooden bird
that flew for three days without coming down.
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