File:Aviation in Britain Before the First World War RAE-O855.jpg

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Aviation_in_Britain_Before_the_First_World_War_RAE-O855.jpg (800 × 512 pixels, file size: 85 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

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Artist
Royal Engineers official photographer
Description
English: Aviation in Britain Before the First World War

A range of Cody kites of various sizes and types in the main hall of Alexandra Palace. Bunting is hanging around the hall and a partially inflated observation balloon in the background, also note the ornate railing running on the balcony and the equally ornate pillars round the edge of the hall. It was here that Cody did many performances of his Wild West shows and productions and had workshops where he produced backdrops for the productions as well as his kites. From here he moved to the Crystal Palace and finally Laffan's Plain.

The largest kites at the back of the picture would have been used as man carriers by attaching them to a basket. It is likely that some of the smaller kites would have been used to lift the heavy cable that the man carrier ran up and down on.

According to Cody he was fascinated by kites from a young age, when he saw the Chinese cooks who worked on the cattle drives making and flying toy kites. Like many of Cody's tales of his early life, it is difficult to say whether this is true or not.. In friendly competition he and his sons used to build kites and fly them to great heights. They began building larger and larger versions until Cody decided to try and construct a man carrier. After many trials and the occasional accident Cody designed and built a system that could easily carry a man to a height of over 2500 feet and hold him suitably stable whilst he was in the air. His design was purchased by the war office and Cody was employed as kiting instructor.

Whilst man-carrying kites had been built previously, Cody’s use of a series of pilot kites to carry a cable along which a pulley attached to the main carrier kite ran up and down was by far the most successful. They also played an important part in Cody’s development and construction of a powered, heavier than air, aeroplane. These kites were used by the balloon section of the Royal Engineers when the strength of the wind (anything above around twenty miles an hour) prevented the use of observation balloons.

Cody was the first man to be lifted from the deck of a warship in a heavier-than-air machine. It was during one of these demonstration flights that Cody was almost killed. With Cody at around 800 feet the Captain of the ship turned 180 degrees so it was down wind. The kites immediately began to plummet to the sea and it was only the quick thinking of a crew member using a jack knife and hammer to snap the cable that allowed the kites to float down and for Cody to jump clear a few feet from the surface so he could rescued.
Date 1903 (Pre-1914)
Source/Photographer http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//35/media-35404/large.jpg
This photograph RAE-O 855 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.
Permission
(Reusing this file)
This image was created and released by the Imperial War Museum on the IWM Non Commercial Licence. Photographs taken, or artworks created, by a member of the forces during their active service duties are covered by Crown Copyright provisions. Faithful reproductions may be reused under that licence, which is considered expired 50 years after their creation.
Part of
InfoField
Dera Farnborough (royal Aircraft Establishment)
Subject(s)
InfoField
  • Associated themes
    Aviation pre-1914
  • Associated keywords
    aviation
Category
InfoField
photographs

Licensing

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This image is in the public domain because it is a mere mechanical scan or photocopy of a public domain original, or – from the available evidence – is so similar to such a scan or photocopy that no copyright protection can be expected to arise. The original itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
Public domain
This work created by the United Kingdom Government is in the public domain.

This is because it is one of the following:

  1. It is a photograph taken prior to 1 June 1957; or
  2. It was published prior to 1974; or
  3. It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created prior to 1974.

HMSO has declared that the expiry of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide (ref: HMSO Email Reply)
More information.

See also Copyright and Crown copyright artistic works.

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current16:46, 27 January 2013Thumbnail for version as of 16:46, 27 January 2013800 × 512 (85 KB) (talk | contribs){{Information |description = {{en|''Aviation in Britain Before the First World War''<br/> A range of Cody kites of various sizes and types in the main hall of Alexandra Palace. Bunting is hanging around the hall and a partially inflated observation bal...

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