Kites. History of kites - history of kiting Who came up with the design of a kite

Municipal government institution, education department of the administration of the urban district of Neftekamsk, Republic of Bashkortostan

Municipal educational budgetary institution

secondary school No. 8

urban district city of Neftekamsk

Republic of Bashkortostan

Historical research work

"Kite:

child's play or practical aeronautics?

Completed by: Vinokurov Anton 7A class

MOBU secondary school No. 8

Head: Nasipova G.U.

Physics teacher.

Neftekamsk, 2014

Content

Introduction …………………………………………………………………… .3-5

History of the kite ………………………………………………. .6-8

Classification (types) of kites ………………………… …9-15

16-19

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………..20

Bibliography …………………………………………………………21

Introduction

From early childhood we know what a kite is: how to fly it and how to control it. We are accustomed to its shape and colorfulness, but have you ever wondered when and why snakes were invented? What were they used for and why do they fly? Did you know that a kite, without exaggeration, can be called the fundamental principle of all flying machines and that the aerodynamics of an airplane wing is based on the aerodynamics of a kite? The main feature of a kite is its simplicity. It is easy to make and use, but what experience does a child gain by playing with a kite! Also, interest in snakes does not decrease with a person’s age. Over the many years since the first kite appeared, they have acquired a new look, and now a new generation of kites has appeared - kites. Kitesurfing and kitesurfing have long been popular among fans of extreme sports.

Kites - this is a whole world with different facets, the world of creativity, the world of science, the world of art. Everyone knows from early childhood what it is

kite: how to fly it and how to control it. Their shape and color are amazing, but have you ever wondered when and why snakes were invented? Having studied the history of kites, we learn that kites were used in scientific research, in meteorology for studying the upper layers of the atmosphere and aerial photography, for dropping loads. Kites play an active role in aircraft modeling, signaling, namely in orienteering, entertainment and sports games.

The German company SkySails has used kites as an additional power source for cargo ships, first testing it in January 2008 on the MS BelugaSkysails. Tests on this 55-meter ship have shown that under favorable conditions, fuel consumption is reduced by 30%.

Without exaggeration, a kite can be called the fundamental principle of all flying machines.

The topic of my work is “Kite flying: children's fun or practical aeronautics?”

What is aeronautics? Aeronautics (aeronautics) is the name of the art of rising into the air with the help of known devices and moving in a certain direction.

The relevance of my chosen topic is obvious. On the one hand, this is children's fun, which requires a lot of imagination and helps broaden one's horizons. On the other hand, designing and flying kites for people who do not view this as an exciting activity makes it possible to understand the basic principles of flight of all aircraft combined. Study the laws of physics and aerodynamics, as well as their practical application.

The first mentions of kites date back to the 2nd century BC, in China (the so-called dragon kite).

For a long time, snakes did not find practical use. From the second half of the 18th century. they are beginning to be widely used in atmospheric scientific research. In 1749, A. Wilson used a kite to measure air temperature at altitude. In 1752, B. Franklin conducted an experiment in which, with the help of a kite, he discovered the electrical nature of lightning and subsequently, thanks to the results obtained, invented a lightning rod. M.V. Lomonosov conducted similar experiments and, independently of Franklin, came to the same results.

Research topic : Kite flying: child's play or practical aeronautics?

Purpose of the study : Identify the factors affecting the launch and flight of a kite.

Object of study : Model of the kite, terrain and weather conditions affecting the flight of the kite.

Subject of study : Qualitative characteristics of kite flight.

Research hypothesis : Using improvised means you can create heavier-than-air aircraft.

Tasks:

Studying the history of kites;

Consideration of types of kites;

Study of the principles of kite flight.

Research methods : work with scientific literature, Internet resources, selection of illustrative material, its design, research, conducting test flights with kite models.

History of the kite

Kites are among the oldest heavier-than-air flying machines invented by humans. It is impossible to say with certainty who and when invented the kite, and when they first took to the air. Ancient Greek sources claim that this happened in the 4th century BC, and that the honor of their invention belongs to Archytas of Tarentum. But one thing is known for certain - in the 4th century BC, kites were widespread in China. It is believed that the first Chinese kites were made of wood. They were built in the shape of fish, birds, beetles, and painted in different colors. The most common figure was that of a serpent - a dragon. This is probably where the name “kite” came from.

They quickly spread throughout East Asia. They began to be used to solve military problems. There is a legend that in 202 BC, General Huang Teng and his army were surrounded by opponents and were in danger of complete destruction. It is said that a random gust of wind blew the general's hat off his head, and then the idea came to him to create a large number of kites equipped with rattles and pipes. The enemy fled in fear from the battlefield amid howls and deafening crashes. The ancient records of the first practical applications of kites are interesting. One of them says that in the 9th century. The Byzantines allegedly lifted a warrior on a kite, who from a height threw incendiary substances into the enemy camp. Also in 559, a man flying a kite was documented in the kingdom of Northern Wei.

In Rus' in 906, Prince Oleg, during the siege of Constantinople, used a kite to intimidate the enemy. And in 1066, William the Conqueror used kites for military signaling during the conquest of England. But, unfortunately, no data has been preserved about the shape of ancient European kites, their structural and flight properties. For a long time, European scientists underestimated the importance of the kite for science. Only from the middle of the 18th century. The kite begins to be used in scientific work. In 1749, A. Wilson (England) used a kite to raise a thermometer to determine the air temperature at altitude. In 1752, physicist W. Franklin used a kite to study lightning. Having discovered the electrical nature of lightning with the help of a kite, Franklin invented the lightning rod.

Kites were used to study atmospheric electricity by the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov and the English physicist I. Newton. In 1804, thanks to a kite, Sir J. Keil was able to formulate the basic laws of aerodynamics. The first manned kite flight took place in 1825. This was done by the English scientist D. Pocock, who lifted his daughter Martha on a snake to a height of several tens of meters. In 1873 A.F. Mozhaisky climbed on a kite towed by three horses. Since 1894, kites have been systematically used to study the upper atmosphere. In 1895, the first snake station was established at the Washington Weather Bureau. In 1896, at the Boston Observatory, a box kite lifting height of 2000 m was reached, and in 1900, the kite was raised there to a height of 4600 m. In 1897, work with kites began in Russia. They were conducted at the Pavlovsk Magnetic Meteorological Observatory, where in 1902 a special snake department was opened.

The kite was widely used in meteorological observatories in Germany, France and Japan. 3may rose to a very great height. For example, at the Linderberg Observatory (Germany) they achieved a kite lift of more than 7000 m. The first radio communication across the Atlantic Ocean was established using a box-shaped kite. The Italian engineer G. Marconi launched a large kite on New Founden Island in 1901, which flew on a wire that served as a receiving antenna. In 1902, successful experiments were carried out on the cruiser “Lieutenant Ilyin” to lift an observer to a height of up to 300 meters using a train of kites. In this case, box-shaped snakes were used, the designs of which were developed by L. Hargrav in 1892. In 1905-1910, the Russian army was armed with a kite of an original design created by Sergei Ulyanin. Entire platoons of snake nauts were part of both ground and naval units, including the Black Sea Fleet. During the First World War, troops of various countries and especially Germany used tethered balloons for observation posts, the lifting height of which, depending on the battle conditions, reached 2000 m. They made it possible to observe the enemy’s position deep in the front and direct artillery fire through telephone communications. When the wind became too strong, box kites were used instead of balloons. Depending on the strength of the wind, a train was made up of 5-10 large box-shaped kites, which were attached to a cable at a certain distance from each other on long wires. A basket for an observer was tied to the cable. In a strong but fairly uniform wind, the observer rose in a basket to a height of up to 800 m. This method of observation had the advantage that it made it possible to get closer to the enemy’s advanced positions. Kites were not as easily shot as hot air balloons, which presented a very large target. In addition, the failure of an individual kite affected the observer's ascent height, but did not cause him to fall.

During the First World War, kites were also used to protect important military installations from attack by enemy aircraft by constructing barriers consisting of small tethered balloons and kites that rose to a height of 3000 m. Wire ropes were lowered from the balloons and kites, which were created for the aircraft the enemy is in great danger.

Nowadays, building a kite is an exciting activity; creating and flying them has not lost and will not lose its importance. The theoretical thought of inventors in many countries gives rise to more and more new designs of kites: flat and box-shaped. Inflatable and rotary. Among the kites you will meet, no two are alike - they all differ from each other in appearance, flight performance or manufacturing technology.

Classification of kites

The classification of kites is not precisely defined. Kites can be big or not very big. There is a very wide variety of kite shapes. Ancient snakes were made using wooden frames and sheets of silk or paper stretched over them. Almost all modern kites are made from carbon fiber plastics and synthetic fabrics.

Flat kites are divided into two types according to their aerodynamic design:

Flat - flat kites. The oldest form of kite flying. And the simplest one. They are figuratively a flat plate of a rectangular or any other shape (star, triangle in the form of a projection of a bird, etc.), to which a handrail is tied using a bridle.

Bowed is a category of kites that look very similar to flat kites from the ground. However, this type of kite is a further development of flat kites in terms of stability. To give stability, these snakes have a bend or kink in the longitudinal axis, which, as it were, lifts the ends of the wing and creates a v-shaped wing. This solution provides a significant margin of stability. William Eddy patented this kite design in 1900.

In shape: flat snakes in plan can be made in all sorts of shapes, from square to the artist’s imagination. Let's consider the main ones:

 The rectangular kite is the most common textbook example of a kite, but it is not very stable compared to its larger cousins. The snake has three strips: two of them serve as diagonals (“cross”), and the third is at the top and fastens the diagonals. A strong thread is pulled along the contour of the future kite, connecting all the corners, and a cover made of paper or fabric is glued on. The kite must be equipped with a long and fairly heavy tail to give it stability in flight. Snakes of a similar design were common in Japan; images of dragons were applied to the rectangular canvas.

 Diamond (bowed diamond) –diamond-shapedsnake. The frame is made in the form of intersecting slats. Belongs to the bowed category. There are many schemes for making a kite concave, such as using a central cross where the cross-staffs run at an angle, or stringing a bowstring on a cross-staff, which gives the cross-staff a bow-like bend. With a large v-shape, such a kite does not need a tail, however, with a significant increase in the v-shape, the kite loses lifting force. The bridle is most often tied to the longitudinal rail in two places.

 Delta (delta, bowed delta) is a snake, in plan resembling a delta wing. The frame is somewhat more complicated, since it requires at least three slats, which are rigidly fixed in the form of a triangle (two cantilever and one transverse). The peculiarity of the design is that during flight, wind pressure bends the cantilever slats and the kite takes on a v-shape. The domed structure of the cladding also gives additional stability. Moreover, the stronger the wind blows, the more stable the kite behaves. Models of sports controlled kites received this form. The ability to control is achieved using a two-layer scheme. The pilot holds both rails in his hands. By changing the tension of the rails, controlled flight is achieved.

 Rokkaku - This hexagonal Japanese snake (hence its name) is native to the central Japanese region of Niigata on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan. It has a central rail and two transverse ones. The transverse slats are given a curved shape (bowed shape), due to this, rokkaku type snakes are very stable even without tails. This is a very common form of kite as it is easy to make.

 Bermuda (Bermuda) - a kite is usually hexagonal in shape, but can have the shape of an octagon and even a more multifaceted figure. The design consists of several flat slats intersecting in the center. A bowstring is stretched along the perimeter of the slats, imparting rigidity to the structure. The sail is already stretched between the slats and the bowstring. Very often, each side of the kite is made of different colors to obtain a more variegated color. Requires a long tail. The snake shares the same name with the island where they were traditionally flown on Easter as a symbol of the ascension of Christ.

Box kites

Box snakes appeared as a result of the development of flat snakes. People have noticed that vertical surfaces greatly affect the stability of a kite's flight. This is how the first box-shaped kite appeared. Box snakes generally do not require a tail.

 The rhombic kite is the simplest box-shaped kite, it is not complicated in design, is stable in flight and is easy to launch. It is based on four

longitudinal slats (spars). Two crosses are inserted between them, each of which consists of two spacer slats. The kite cover is made of two strips of paper or synthetic fabric. This creates two boxes - front and back. This kite design was invented by Australian explorer Lawrence Hargrave in 1893 while trying to build a manned aircraft.

 Potter's is a box-shaped kite that has special flaps to increase lifting force. It consists of four longitudinal slats (spars) and four paired transverse slats-crosses, two boxes and two flaps.

Frameless kites

Frameless snakes are snakes that do not have hard parts. It takes the form of a snake by inflating due to the oncoming air flow. Hence the two advantages of these kites - the probability of breakage when dropped is zero and compactness during transportation. The second advantage allows you to make kites of very large sizes.

 Sled (sleigh) is a kite with a non-rigid frame. In flight, its shell maintains its shape due to the wind, as if inflated. Only two longitudinal slats are used, sewn into the shell, which are not connected to each other. These slats maintain the shape of the shell and prevent it from crumpling. This type of kite behaves quite capriciously in gusty winds. For stable flight, a kite requires a long tail. The advantages of such a kite include ease of manufacture and compactness during transportation, since it can be rolled into a tube without the need for assembly and disassembly.

 Sled foil is a further development of the kite of the previous model. There are no rigid elements in this design at all. The rigidity of the dome is given by cylinders inflated by the oncoming air flow. The pressure created in the cylinders tapering towards the rear edge of the kite is quite enough to keep the canopy straightened in flight. However, a kite of this design also has disadvantages, for example, the dome can easily crumple when the wind subsides and this will lead to the kite falling, even if the wind rises again, the dome can no longer straighten out on its own. It also has certain starting difficulties. But the undeniable advantage of the fact that snakes cannot be broken allowed this design to continue its development.

 Super Sled foil is another development of the “sled”. Three inflatable sections make this kite more resistant to collapse. It also allows you to make this kite of considerable size and obtain significant thrust. Can be used to lift objects, including a camera.

 FlowForm is a very common kite design as it is one of the most stable frameless single line kites. With proper training, in a steady wind it can fly without a tail. However, in strong and gusty winds, the use of the tail is still recommended. They can be made in truly gigantic sizes; an area of ​​3 sq.m is considered the most common. They are also manufactured with a large number of sections, six, eight and even more.

 The Nasa Para Wing kite is the result of research by the US National Space Agency, which brought to light quite interesting single-layer frameless kites. Developments were carried out in search of optimal systems for launching spacecraft. As a “by-product”, a kite is built by people all over the world. A number of original solutions make this model easy to manufacture. Some models are controllable. Despite many advantages (low material consumption, high thrust, etc.), these kites have a significant drawback - relatively low aerodynamic quality, which, however, is steadily increasing due to further improvement of the kite design.

 Parafoil is a special subclass of frameless kites. This type of kite is made of airtight fabric with closed internal spaces and an air intake facing the oncoming flow. Air, penetrating into the air intake hole, creates excess pressure inside the enclosed space of the kite and inflates the kite like a balloon. However, the design of the kite is such that when inflated, the kite takes on a certain aerodynamic shape, which is capable of creating the lifting force of the kite. There are many types of kites - parafoils: single-line, double-line controlled, four-line controlled. Double-line kites are mainly aerobatic kites, or kites with an area of ​​up to 3 sq.m. Four-line kites are kites with a fairly large area from 4 sq.m., used in sports as a motive force (kiteing). Single-line snakes are for entertainment, come in a variety of designs and shapes, and can even depict all sorts of objects and animals.

 Inflatable - another interesting model is an attempt to combine the advantages of parafoils and frame models. There is also a shell, but now it is inflated not by the wind, but by means of a pump on the ground (like rubber rings). The kite also does not have a frame, but due to excess pressure inside the shell, it already has a flying shape on the ground. Again, by analogy with an inflatable ring - the kite does not sink in the water when it falls, for this reason it is used in kiting when riding on the water surface.

Why do kites fly?

The ability of kites to stay in the air and lift loads is explained by the fact that they have lifting force. Let us give the following experience. If you stick your hand with a plate (a piece of cardboard or plywood) out of the window of a moving bus or carriage, placing it vertically, you will feel that your hand is being carried back with some force. This force arises because a stream of air flows onto the plate and exerts pressure on it. This pressure will be greater if the size of the plate or the speed of movement is increased; At high speed, this force can be so great that sticking your hand out will be dangerous. The force of pressure on the counterflow plate can be reduced many times if the plate is placed with its edge facing the air flow. If the plate is placed at a slight angle, the hand will begin to tilt not only back, but also upward. The angle relative to the air flow is called the angle of attack (usually denoted α - alpha). Snakes fly at an average angle of attack of 10-20°.

So why does a kite fly?

There are four forces acting on a kite: drag, lift, gravity and lift. A B α F 2 F 3 F 1 (see figure).

In a simplified drawing, line AB represents a cross-section of a flat kite. Let's assume that our imaginary kite flies from right to left at an angle α - alpha to the horizon or the oncoming wind flow. Let's consider what forces act on a kite in flight.

A dense mass of air impedes the movement of the kite during takeoff, in other words, it exerts some pressure on it, let's denote it F1. Now let's construct a so-called parallelogram of forces and decompose the force F1 into two components - F2 and F3. The force F2 pushes the kite away from us, which means that as it rises it reduces its initial horizontal speed. Therefore, it is a resistance force. The other force (F3) carries the kite upward, so let’s call it lifting. We have determined that there are two forces acting on the kite: the drag force F2 and the lift force F3.

By lifting the kite into the air (towing it by the rail), we seem to artificially increase the pressure force on the surface of the kite, that is, the force F1. And the faster we run, the more this force increases. But the force F1, as we have determined, is decomposed into two components: F2 and F3. The weight of the kite is constant, but the action of force F2 is prevented by the handrail, the lifting force increases - the kite takes off.

Wind speed increases with height, which is why when launching a kite, they try to raise it to such a height where the wind could support the model at one point. In flight, the kite is always at a certain angle to the direction of the wind.

The drag force is created by the movement of air that flows around the kite.

Lift is the portion of drag that turns into upward force.

The force of attraction is due to the weight of the kite and is applied at a point called the center of gravity.

The driving force is imparted to the kite by a lifeline that acts as a motor. The kite will fly if the lines of action of all these forces intersect at the center of gravity. Otherwise, the kite's flight will be unstable. To meet these requirements, the surface of the kite must be inclined to the wind at the correct angle. The longitudinal stability of the kite is ensured by the tail or the shape of the aerodynamic surface, the transverse stability is ensured by the keel planes installed parallel to the rail, or by the curvature and symmetry of the aerodynamic surface. When making kites, these factors should not be forgotten. The stability of a kite's flight also depends on the position of the kite's center of gravity. The tail shifts the kite's center of gravity down and slows down the kite's oscillations if the wind is gusty or uneven.

Let's calculate the lifting force of a kite using the formula:

Fh=K*S*V*N*cos(a),Where

K=0.096 (coefficient),

S - load-bearing surface (m2),

V - wind speed (m/s),

N - normal pressure coefficient (see table)

Wind speed, V, m/s 1 2 4 6 7 8 9 10 12 15

Normal pressure coefficient N, kg/m2

0,14 0,54 2,17 4,87 6,64 8,67 10,97 13,54 19,5 30,47

a is the angle of inclination.

Example.

Initial data:

S=0.5 m2;

V=6 m/s,

a=45°.

N=4.87 kg/m2. (see table)

Substituting the values ​​into the formula, we get:

Fз=0.096*0.5*6*4.87*0.707=1 kg.

The calculation showed that this kite will rise upward only if its weight does not exceed 1 kg. We calculated the lifting force in the old system of units (kg*s, kilogram-force), and not in the SI system (N, Newton). The fact is that in everyday life it is easier for us to evaluate force in kilograms rather than in newtons, i.e. we know how much effort we need to put in to lift a bag of 5 kg of potatoes. The same is true with kites. To be fair, let’s give the conversion of kilogram-force to the SI system: 1 kg*s = 9.81 N. But not everything is as simple as it looks from the outside. It is very difficult to know the wind speed, even if you fly a kite while holding an anemometer in your hands, the results will not be true. Wind speed changes with height. And the angle of inclination changes slightly during the flight. Only practice will help you fly a kite.

Thus, having considered the basic principles of kite flight, we can safely say that a kite, which is simpler to design and control, is the prototype of more complex aircraft.

Many designers who were previously interested in making kites switched to working on airplanes. But their experience in building kites did not pass without a trace. It certainly played a role in the history of aviation during the first stage of aircraft development.

CONCLUSION

Having considered the history of the kite, having studied the main types and design, and conducting a comparative analysis, I came to the following conclusion.

Nowadays, kite flying, being a child's play, requires a lot of imagination and helps broaden one's horizons. In the process of choosing the type and shape of the kite, design inclinations develop, the designer has the opportunity for artistic expression in the process of inventing emblems and other decorative elements, so the flight of a kite is always an exciting spectacle.

For others it is an exciting sport. Clubs and communities are being created all over the world, uniting kite lovers - both designers and those simply flying them. One of the famous ones is KONE - the Kite Club of New England, part of the Kite Flying Association of America. Some people consider kite flying as a good tradition, for example in Japan.

Abroad, kites are extremely popular among children and youth. They are especially popular in Cuba, Fr. Bali. You can often see how children, even while on the beach, do not part with their favorite pastime - kites of the most varied designs and the brightest colors soar in the air above the sea. Nowadays, the construction of kites can have neither defense nor scientific significance. Since with the development of aviation their role in these areas has decreased.

Designing and flying kites for people who do not view it as entertainment helps to understand the basic principles of flight of all aircraft combined. Kite making has become one of the sections of initial aviation training for schoolchildren, and kites have become full-fledged aircraft along with models of airplanes and gliders, as they allow one to study the laws of physics, aerodynamics and their practical application.

This approach to kites is the initial step for children who plan to connect their lives in the future with the design or operation of aircraft. Without knowledge of calculations, without taking into account the features of the lower layers of the atmosphere, wind direction, etc. do not fly either a kite or a model glider or airplane

Literature

1. Ermakov A.M. The simplest aircraft models: Book. For students 5 - 8 grades. avg. school M.: Education, 1989, - 144 p.

2. Encyclopedia of homemade products. – M.:AST – PRESS, 2002. – 352.: ill. – (Do it yourself).

3. Rozhov V.S. Aircraft modeling circle. For leaders of clubs in schools and out-of-school institutions M.: Prosveshchenie, 1986.-144p.

4. Ermakov A. M. “The simplest aircraft models”, 1989

5. “Optional course in physics” - M: Education, 1998.

6. A.A.Pinsky, V.G.Razumovsky “Physics and Astronomy” - Enlightenment, 1997.

7. Encyclopedia for children. Volume 14. Technology. Ch. ed. M.D. Aksenov. - M.:

Avanta+, 2004.

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Kites are among the oldest flying machines. The first documents about them are found several centuries before the start of the new era. Chinese manuscripts say that kites were flown during folk festivals. The Chinese built snakes in the shape of birds, fish, butterflies, beetles, and human figures, which they painted in the brightest colors (Fig. 1).

The most common type of Chinese serpent was the dragon, a fantastic winged serpent. A huge dragon raised into the air was a symbol of supernatural forces. In a number of places in China, until recently, traces of the custom of mass kite flying on the ninth day of the ninth month, Kite Day, remained.

The flying dragon is structurally complex. Two or three dozen light paper cones formed a long round body of a monster, wriggling picturesquely in flight. The serpent-dragon had a large head with a bared mouth. Through the mouth, the wind penetrated into the empty body and, inflating it, supported it in the air. Sometimes, instead of cones, the design of the dragon's frame included gradually smaller round disks, which were connected with each other by cords. Each disc was crossed by a thin bamboo strip, at the end of which large feathers were attached (Fig. 2).

To enhance the effect, special “snake music” was invented, reminiscent of the howling of the wind in a chimney. The device that produced these sounds was made from dry poppy heads into which reed pipes were inserted. A rail was attached to the dragon's mouth, and two long silk ribbons were attached to the tail, which wriggled in the air along with the kite.

An interesting sight was presented by lanterns made from thin colored paper (Fig. 3) and fireworks (Fig. 4) attached to snakes.

Kites became widespread in Korea. At first, their use was purely religious in nature, and then flying kites became a fascinating form of activity and spectacle.

Japanese kite "Kero"

In ancient Japanese drawings you can also find images of kites, which were significantly different in shape from Chinese ones (Fig. 5).

Japanese snakes: a - “butterfly”; b - “Yatsuhana”; c - "Gonbo"; g - from the Nagasaki area; d - "Bozo"; e - "Ato"

A typical Malayan kite (Fig. 6) has the shape of a curvilinear symmetrical triangle. Its frame consists of three intersecting rods, the covering is made of coarse fabric.

European historians attribute the invention of the serpent, regardless of what existed in the countries of the East, to the ancient Greek scientist Archytas of Tarentum (IV century BC).

The ancient records of the first practical applications of kites are interesting. One of them says that in the 9th century. The Byzantines allegedly lifted a warrior on a kite, who from a height threw incendiary substances into the enemy camp. In 906, the Kiev prince Oleg used kites during the capture of Constantinople. The chronicle says that “horses and people made of paper, armed and gilded” appeared in the air above the enemy. And in 1066, William the Conqueror used kites for military signaling during the conquest of England.

But, unfortunately, no data has been preserved about the shape of ancient European kites, their structural and flight properties.

Kite "blinds" design Raqqa

For a long time, European scientists underestimated the importance of the kite for science. Only from the middle of the 18th century. The kite begins to be used in scientific work. In 1749, A. Wilson (England) used a kite to raise a thermometer to determine the air temperature at altitude. In 1752, physicist W. Franklin used a kite to study lightning. Having discovered the electrical nature of lightning with the help of a kite, Franklin invented the lightning rod.

Kites were used to study atmospheric electricity by the great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov and the English physicist I. Newton.

The serpent begins to provide valuable services to science. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 1756 the famous mathematician L. Euler wrote the following lines: “A kite, this toy of children, despised by scientists, can, however, make you think deeply about yourself.”

The kite was significantly improved by the Australian scientist L. Hargrave in the 90s. last century. Taking advantage of the work of the first glider pilot, the German engineer O. Lilienthal, Hargrav was the first to use two through boxes connected to each other as a kite. Lilienthal, when designing his gliders, noticed that such devices had good stability in the air. Hargrave patiently searched for the best proportions for his boxes. Eventually, the first box kite appeared, no longer requiring a tail for stability in flight (Fig. 7).

Hargrave's flying boxes were not only a greater impetus for the development of the kite business, but also undoubtedly helped in the design of the first airplanes. This position is confirmed by the similarity with the two-box kite of the biplanes of Voisin, Santos-Duman, Farman and the devices of other early aircraft designers.

The first human ascent on box kites was also accomplished by Hargrave. The passenger was lifted on four kites with a total area of ​​22 m2.

Frameless "monk"

Since 1894, kites have been systematically used to study the upper atmosphere. In 1895, the first snake station was established at the Washington Weather Bureau. In 1896, at the Boston Observatory, the box kite was raised to a height of 2000 m, and in 1900, the kite was raised to a height of 4600 m.

In 1897, work with kites began in Russia. They were conducted at the Pavlovsk Magnetic Meteorological Observatory, where a special snake department was opened in 1902.

The kite was widely used in meteorological observatories in Germany, France and Japan. The kite (rose to a very high altitude. For example, at the Linderberg Observatory (Germany) they achieved the rise of a kite to more than 7000 m. The first radio communication across the Atlantic Ocean was established using a box-shaped kite. The Italian engineer G. Marconi launched it in 1901. on New Foundlain Island, a large kite that flew on a wire that served as a receiving antenna.

The British military department became interested in Hargrave's box kite. Lieutenant Cody of the English army modified Hargrave's snakes. He increased its area by adding side wings placed on all corners of the boxes, increased the strength of the structure and introduced a completely new principle for assembling and disassembling the kite. Military observers began to take to the air on such kites.

At the beginning of the 20th century. Cody's work on snakes was continued by the captain of the French army, Sacconey. He created an even more advanced kite design, which is one of the best to this day. Sacconeus, taking advantage of rich subsidies from the military department, had the opportunity to carry out his experiments on a wide scale. He thoroughly developed the principle of towing kites: one group of kites lifted the main rail (cable) into the air, the other towed the load along the cable. Sacconei set the first records for the height and carrying capacity of kites.

The works of Sacconaeus found their successors in many armies of Europe. In Russia, Colonel Ulyanin created a special kite for the army (Fig. 8 and 9). A valuable and ingenious innovation in the kites of his design were articulated wings, which automatically increased the area of ​​the kite when the wind weakened. In addition to Ulyanin, Kuznetsov, Prakhov and others were fond of snakes, and they created successful designs. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. in the Russian army there were special snake units.

In parallel with Cody’s work in Europe, mainly in France, other designers also carried out their experiments. Of these, we should mention Plotter, who changed the place of attachment of the bridle and created kites with keel planes that increased the carrying capacity.

An interesting design of the original single-box kite was proposed by the French engineer Lecornu. He created a snake whose box resembles a honeycomb (Fig. 10). Lecornu justified the idea of ​​​​building his kite by observing the flight of birds. If you look at a flying bird, you will notice that the planes of the body and wings form a certain angle. Lecornu made the same installation angle of 30° at the horizontal planes of the kite.

During the First World War, troops from various countries, and especially Germany, used tethered balloons for observation posts, the lifting height of which, depending on the battle conditions, reached 2000 m. They made it possible to observe the location of the enemy deep in the front and direct artillery fire through telephone communications. When the wind became too strong, box kites were used instead of balloons. Depending on the strength of the wind, a train was made up of 5-10 large box-shaped kites, which were attached to a cable at a certain distance from each other on long wires. A basket for an observer was tied to the cable. In a strong but fairly uniform wind, the observer rose in the basket to a height of up to 800 m.

This method of observation had the advantage that it made it possible to get closer to the enemy's forward positions. Kites were not as easily shot as hot air balloons, which presented a very large target. In addition, the failure of an individual kite affected the observer's ascent height, but did not cause him to fall. A single incendiary rocket hitting the ball was enough to kill it, since it was filled with flammable hydrogen.

Monoblock kite designed by Roche-Donzel

During the First World War, kites were also used to protect important military installations from attack by enemy aircraft by constructing barriers consisting of small tethered balloons and kites that rose to a height of 3000 m. Wire ropes were lowered from the balloons and kites, which were created for the aircraft the enemy is in great danger. Germany has used such barriers to protect submarine yards and hangars in Belgium.

For the snake barriers of hangars near Brussels, large snakes were made in the form of tethered aircraft. The snakes copied the outlines of aircraft of various designs (monoplanes, biplanes) in order to mislead enemy pilots.

In the spring of 1915, an interesting incident occurred in Germany when a tethered aircraft misled not enemy pilots, but its own anti-aircraft battery. One day, early in the morning, a tethered biplane was lifted into the air. Soon after rising, he disappeared into the clouds. When the clouds cleared towards noon, this plane suddenly appeared in their gap. German observers had the impression that the clouds were motionless and that the biplane was flying at fairly high speed. Soon he disappeared into a cloud, only to reappear immediately in the next gap. Air surveillance and communications posts reported: “Enemy aircraft.” Anti-aircraft batteries opened barrage fire. Guns thundered around the airfield, trying to destroy the air enemy. The plane disappeared into the clouds, then reappeared, and the barrage continued until the Germans finally realized that they had fired at their own tethered plane. The latter was not shot down only because when firing an adjustment was made for the imaginary speed of the aircraft and the shells invariably ended up ahead of the stationary target.

Kite making in Europe reached its peak towards the end of the war, in 1918. After this, interest in kites waned. The rapid development of aviation began to displace snakes from military affairs.

Many designers who were previously interested in making kites switched to working on airplanes. But their experience in building kites did not pass without a trace. It certainly played a role in the history of aviation during the first stage of aircraft development.

Kite "star" designed by Babyuk

In the Soviet Union, the hobby for kites began almost simultaneously with aircraft modeling. Already at the first all-Union flying model competitions in 1926, fairly well-flying box kites built by Kyiv aircraft modelers under the leadership of I. Babyuk were presented. Eleven canvas kites with a total working area of ​​42.5 m2 were launched on a 3 mm thick steel cable from a special balloon winch. The design of these kites is a modified classic Sacconeus type.

The number of box kite trains submitted to all-Union aircraft modeling competitions increased. Eight trains took part in the 1935 competition. Then, for the first time, the various uses of kites were most fully demonstrated. “Air mailmen” ran up and down the railing, with the help of which “paratrooper” dolls jumped, “bombs” and leaflets were dropped, and a smoke screen was demonstrated. The “parachutist” dolls made long jumps following the dropped live “landing party” - white mice in a cage. Dropping model gliders from kites has become commonplace. From a high-altitude launch, many glider models flew several kilometers away.

In pioneer camps, kites were increasingly used for signaling during war games. It was not uncommon in winter to see a skier, towed by a kite, easily gliding across the snow.

Kite making became one of the sections of the initial aviation training of pioneers and schoolchildren, and kites became full-fledged aircraft along with models of airplanes and gliders.

At the Serpukhov House of Pioneers in 1931, a children's snake station was created and successfully operated. The leaders of this station were annually invited with their kite team to the All-Union aircraft modeling competitions.

Soon the experience of the Serpukhovites became widely known. All-Union competitions began to be held independently every year. The snake stations of Saratov, Kyiv, Tula, Stalingrad and other cities represented their teams at the competition.

The leaders of children's kite stations and young "snake riders" with great enthusiasm designed kites and launched them, and carried out work among pioneers and schoolchildren.

In 1937, in Zvenigorod, the Central Council of Osoaviakhim of the USSR organized the First All-Union Box Kite Competition. Unfavorable meteorological conditions (lack of the necessary wind) did not make it possible to achieve record-breaking kite flights. But still, although at a low altitude, it was possible to test their design features.

In 1938, in the village of Shcherbinka (now a city in the Moscow region), the Second All-Union Box Kite Competition was held, at which designs of exceptional interest were shown. For example, the Serpukhov children's kite station presented kites of a modified "Grund" design with a load-bearing area of ​​20 m 2. The kite lifted a load weighing up to 60 kg. A kite parachute, a kite glider and others were shown.

At the III All-Union Box Kite Competition, which took place in 1939 in Serpukhov, records were set for kite flight to altitude. A single kite, designed by the Kiev aircraft modeller (that’s what the creators of kites came to be called) Gromov, was raised to a height of 1550 m. A train, made up of box-shaped kites designed by the Saratov aircraft modeller Grigorenko, was raised to a height of 1800 m. During the Great Patriotic War (1943 .) A. Grigorenko was awarded for the combat use of box kites.

At the IV All-Union competitions, the technical requirements for the design of kites were clearly defined. For example, each kite had to be kept in the air at a wind speed of no more than 4-5 m/s at the ground, the load-bearing area of ​​each kite should be at least 5 m 2, the total area of ​​the kite train should be such that with a wind of no more than 7 m/s it was possible to lift a load weighing at least 80 kg. The number of kites should be no more than 10 pieces. The head snake could have a large area, the configuration and color of the kites was arbitrary.

On each snake train it was asked to install various devices and mechanisms, for example, “air mailmen” capable of lifting a load weighing up to 2 kg, locks for composing a snake train (with a rail diameter of at least 3 mm), devices for aerial photography and others.

According to the terms of the competition, each team had to present a game scenario, during which they were supposed to launch a snake train. The scenario could include, for example, bombing, i.e. dropping “bombs” on some previously planned target, an “airborne assault” (dropping dolls), ski racing, transporting a wounded person on a sleigh pulled by a kite, sound, light and other types of alarms from the kite, dropping reports and leaflets.

Competitions were held for the flight altitude of a single kite, the launch height of a kite train, the maximum load capacity of a kite train, and the speed of assembling and launching a single kite.

To ensure success in competitions, many groups of circles made various auxiliary means. For example, in the Serpukhov House of Pioneers, model airplane schoolchildren made a dynamometer to test the strength of a handrail. A dynamometer mounted on the snake turned on a red light at critical voltage. The same team made an anemometer from an old alarm clock, and with the help of this device changes in wind strength were recorded.

Schoolchildren installed a barograph on the snake, a device for dropping a single “parachutist” or ground “landing” doll to a given point.

Young aircraft modelers at the Kolomna Station for Young Technicians (Moscow region) built box-shaped kites with wing flaps, which provided the kite with greater stability at an angle of about 50°. Aircraft modelers at the Voronezh Young Technicians Station built profiled box kites.

Saratov aircraft modelers brought a kite train of five box-shaped kites to the competition. Each snake weighs up to 9 kg. The head snake had a total area of ​​17 m2. There was a camera installed on the snake train that took 12 photographs. The train was capable of towing one skier.

A team of Kyiv aircraft modelers brought a kite train of six kites to the competition. It was possible to drop a large “parachutist” doll from it (up to 70 cm, while the parachute dome was 4 m in diameter).

Young aircraft modelers worked hard, preparing for new starts. In Leningrad, more than 150 participants took part in the city kite competition in the spring of 1941.

After the Great Patriotic War, competitions were not held.

Nowadays, the construction of kites can have neither defense nor scientific significance. However, as a simple, very accessible and exciting activity, creating and flying kites has not lost and will not lose its importance.

Abroad, especially in socialist countries, kites are extremely popular among children and youth. They are especially popular in Cuba. You can often see how Cuban children, even while on the beach, do not part with their favorite pastime - kites of the most varied designs and the brightest colors hover in the air above the sea.

Age: 13 years

Place of study: MBOU “School-gymnasium No. 10” named after. E.K. Pokrovsky, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, Russian Federation

Head: Roman Vitalievich Krivoshchekov, methodologist of the physics and mathematics department of PDO GBOU DO Republic of Crimea MAN “Iskatel”, Simferopol

Historical research work on the topic:

Kites: children's fun or practical aeronautics?

Plan

1. Introduction

2 History of the emergence and use of kites

3 Why and how does a kite fly?

4 Types of kites

6 List of used literature

Introduction

Many parents, when buying a kite for their children, do not even realize that making and flying kites, on the one hand, is children's fun that attracts people of all ages, and on the other hand, it is a hobby that promotes the development of observation, ingenuity and creative potential. And at first glance, such a simple and common toy for us, is not quite as simple as it might seem.

Goal of the work- study the kite as an aircraft, identify areas of application, design and fly the kite.

Tasks:- study the history of kites;

Find out the types and areas of their application;

Find out why and how a kite flies;

Design a kite and test it.

History of the origin and use of kites

The history of kites dates back to ancient China and dates back at least 2,000 years. The history of the origin of the kite is based primarily on traditions and legends, because the materials from which the kites were made (wood, paper, fabric, leaves and tree branches) were destroyed quite quickly. The oldest archaeological finds date back about 200 years.

Snakes were built in the form of butterflies, birds, fish, beetles, which were painted in bright colors. The most common was the dragon snake, which looked like a half-crocodile - half-snake.

At a later time, kites began to be built in the form of flat frames covered with paper or fabric. They no longer resembled the fairy-tale snake, but the name has survived to this day.

From the very beginning of its existence, the kite was used in three main areas - military operations, rituals and everyday life. The use of a kite for military purposes was primarily limited to measuring the distance to enemy objects and intimidating enemies. In the history of Russia there are also references to kites: in 906, during the capture of Constantinople, Prince Oleg ordered many kites to be made in the form of horsemen and foot soldiers in order to instill terror in the defenders of the city: they suddenly saw that countless Russian army.

Kites were also used in rituals. It was believed that by getting a little closer to the sky, where the gods lived, and by attracting their attention with your bright appearance, there was a greater chance of drawing the attention of the gods to the prayers of people. So, for example, by flying a kite, they scared away evil spirits and protected from evil forces, diseases, and asked for a rich harvest.

Kites were also used in Asia to catch fish, scare birds away from crops, to lift building materials to the tops of buildings, and of course, as toys.

Scientists also took a closer look at this children's toy. The famous physicist, mathematician and astronomer Leonhard Euler wrote: “The kite, a child’s toy neglected by adults, will someday be the subject of deep research.” And he was not mistaken. Back in 1749, Scottish astronomer A. Wilson raised a thermometer on a snake to measure air temperature at altitude. The famous American scientist B. Franklin, using kites, conducted research on atmospheric electricity and proved that lightning during a thunderstorm is nothing more than an electric discharge of enormous force. Having discovered the electrical nature of lightning as a result of these studies, Franklin invented the lightning rod.

The great Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov also built kites to study electricity in the atmosphere. On June 26, 1753, Lomonosov “with the help of a kite extracted lightning from the clouds.” He flew a kite into a thunderstorm and released a discharge of static electricity along the string used as a conductor. These experiments almost cost him his life, but his follower, Academician Richman, was killed by a discharge of electricity.

In the 19th century, kites were also widely used for meteorological observations. At the beginning of the 20th century, kites contributed to the creation of radio. A.S. Popov used snakes to raise the antennas to a considerable height. It is important to note the use of kites in the development of early aircraft. In particular, A.F. Mozhaisky, before starting construction of his aircraft, conducted a series of tests with kites. Based on the results of these tests, the dimensions of the aircraft were chosen, which should provide it with sufficient lifting force.

The practical capabilities of the kite attracted the attention of the military. In 1848 K.I. Konstantinov developed a system for rescuing ships in distress near the shore using kites. During the First World War, troops from various countries used kites to raise observers to spot artillery fire and reconnaissance of enemy positions. Kites were also used on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. For example, with their help our soldiers scattered leaflets.

In the post-war years, kites became an exciting activity for schoolchildren. But along with this, they are also often used in the field of meteorology for research and observation of the lower layers of the atmosphere. Box kites lift instruments that record temperature, pressure, air humidity and wind direction at altitude. In distant Antarctica, our scientists widely used snakes to study the atmosphere up to an altitude of approximately 1000 m.

Nowadays, kites are not forgotten; they live full, active lives. Kites help meteorologists study the upper atmosphere. You can attach not only a barometer and thermometer to the snake, but also photo and video equipment, subsequently using the obtained data for topographic maps. Using a kite for such purposes is much more profitable, simpler and cheaper than using heavy flying equipment. Also, radio amateurs, just like 100 years ago, still use a kite to receive a stable signal.

The kite also has its own holiday. Every year on the second Sunday of October, World Kite Day is celebrated all over the world.

Why and how does a kite fly?

A kite belongs to a heavier-than-air flying machine. Why does the serpent rise and what keeps it on top? The main condition for this is the movement of air relative to the kite. Wind speed and direction are constantly changing. Not only mountains, but also houses, bridges, buildings, and trees deflect the wind at the surface of the earth from its horizontal direction. So how does a kite fly? A simplified drawing will help answer this question. Let line AB represent the cut of a flat kite, and let the angle to the oncoming wind flow. Let's consider what forces act on snakes in flight. During takeoff, a dense mass of air prevents the kite from moving, that is, it puts some pressure on it. Let us denote the pressure force F1. Now let's construct a parallelogram of forces and decompose the force F1 into two components - F2 and F3. The F2 force pushes the kite towards us, which means that as it rises it reduces its initial horizontal speed. Therefore, it is a resistance force. Another force F3 pulls the kites upward, this is the lifting force.

By lifting the kites into the air, we artificially increase the force of pressure F1 on the surface of the kite. But the force F1, as we already know, is divided into two components: F2 and F3. The mass of the model is constant, and the action of force F2 is prevented by the handrail. This means that the lifting force increases - the kite takes off. It is known that wind speed increases with height, because the higher you are from the ground, the fewer objects that would impede its movement. That is why, when launching, they try to raise the kite to a height where the wind could support it.

Types of kites

All kites can be divided into two main groups: uncontrolled and controlled.

Uncontrollable kites include the familiar kites, which, being raised into the sky, are there at approximately the same point, and the movement of which can only be influenced by the incoming air flow.

The simplest uncontrollable snakes are flat. The ancestors of all kites, they have a flat frame. Stabilization is achieved due to the shape of the kite, air flows in the sail, and tails. Examples include the Russian kite, Indian kite, star kite, and delta wing kite.

Curved kites have a transverse bend in their design that allows them to be more stable than flat kites, eliminating the need to use a tail for stabilization, therefore improving the wind range of the kite. Bending in the structure is achieved either by a specially curved connecting element, or by pulling the transverse elements of the frame like a bow.

Having become acquainted with the designs of flat kites, we learned that neither the length nor the width of most flat kites exceed 1 m. Why is this so? To answer this question, we need to consider two important parameters: lift and strength of the kite. It is difficult to make a flat kite with a large wingspan without significantly increasing the strength of its elements. But an increase in strength leads to an increase in the width and thickness of the structural elements of the frame, which affects the mass of the kite. It is impossible to increase the mass indefinitely; a moment comes when the lifting force is no longer sufficient for the kite to take off. Inventors tried to get around this contradiction. This is how box-shaped kites appeared, the strength of which is much higher than the strength of flat kites.

Box snakes. Kites of this group have a spatial frame, they are truly three-dimensional, and due to the frame, stability increases even more, and an increase in working planes entails an increase in lifting force. Everyone knows well such kites, named after their designers, such as the Haragrav kite and Potter's kite.

Non-rigid snakes. This is a hybrid group of kites, the main difference of which is that the shape is taken by the incoming air flow. At the same time, the design still uses separate rigid and semi-rigid frame elements.

Frameless snakes. The shape taken by the air penetrating inside the kite and the complete absence of a frame as such are the distinctive features of this group. The main advantages are complete freedom in the size and shape of the kite and low weight.

Controlled kites include kites whose flight can be controlled by the presence of two or more lines.

Double-line. Aircraft, so-called sports or aerobatic kites, are usually triangular (delta-shaped) in shape with two lines, one in each hand. Due to the lines, it is possible to control the direction of flight of this kite. In addition, due to its design, the kite is capable of maneuvering not only in two planes relative to the pilot, but also in a third plane.

Four-line. Four lines attached to two handles allow you to completely control the angle of attack of these kites. Under the control of the pilot, the kite is able to fly in any direction, rotate and stop at any point in the wind window.

Frameless. In this category of controlled kites there are kites designed for towing; they can be two- or four-line. The sail takes its shape both due to the oncoming flow and due to the frame formed by compressed air. The main purpose is to tow a person.

We have looked at the main types of kites, but there are kites that differ from them in design and materials used. Let's look at some of them.

Snakes according to the WUA principle. It is known that air-cushioned vehicles (AHVs) rise due to the pressure difference: the pressure under the bottom is always greater than at the top. And the stability of the device is created by a special device that evenly distributes the gas flow along the entire perimeter. Snakes can also fly using this principle.

The kite is a parachute. The air flow hits the slightly inclined canopy of the parachute and lifts it up. To stabilize the flight, a tail is attached to the kite parachute, and a telescopic tube is fixed in the center under the dome. It serves both as a rigid frame and as a regulator of the position of the model’s center of gravity.

Serpent-disk. The shape of such a kite gives good stability in flight. The model is very similar to two low cones folded together. The design is complemented by a keel, as well as a small weight that shifts the center of gravity down and thus increases the stability of the apparatus, and a hole in the lower part of the casing. This hole allows you to use the pressure differences that are created during strong gusts of wind.

Pinwheel snakes. The spinners, rotating under the influence of the oncoming air flow, create not only a surface that plays the same role as the plane of a box-shaped or flat kite, but also, thanks to the angle of attack, they create additional lifting force. This allows, other things being equal, to make smaller kites.

Snake helicopter. In the city it can be difficult to find a large open area where you can freely run around with a kite. A kite helicopter does not require much space for its launch, and bad weather is not a hindrance to it.

Snakes with diffusers. We decided to build and test this type of kite. The design of such a kite is very simple. The two slats are fastened crosswise in the center and tied at the edges with a strong thread. The kite is covered with windproof raincoat fabric, to which a diffuser made of the same fabric is attached (photo 1). We flew our kite at the school stadium. (photo 2). Air moving through the diffuser at an ever-increasing speed increases the speed of the kite, and what is more significant, gives it additional stability in flight (photo 3,4,5).

photo 1
photo 2

photo 3
photo 4
photo 5

conclusions

Based on my research, I came to the following conclusions:

1 The kite has a long history. They were built from different materials and given different shapes.

2 The use and use of a kite was very diverse: in military operations, rituals, everyday life, as well as for the study of physical phenomena. And of course, it was always used as a children's toy.

3 Nowadays, the kite is not used for defense purposes and its role in scientific research is not very significant, but for people interested in aeronautics, it helps to understand the basic principles of flight of all aircraft.

Therefore, we can confidently say that such a children's fun as a kite is, first of all, an example of practical aeronautics.

List of used literature

Ermakov A.M. The simplest aircraft models: A book for students in grades 5-8. - M.: Education, 1984. - 160 p.: ill.

Zavorotov V.A. From idea to model: A book for students in grades 4-8. - M., Prosveshchenie, 1988. - 160 pp.: ill. - (Do it yourself).

Perelman Ya.I. Entertaining physics. Book one. - M.: Nauka, 1976. - 224 pp.: ill.

prokite.ru/kites/tipyi-vozdushnyih-zmeev/

1. www.kite.ru/news/kitestaff/the-kite-story.php

Already in ancient times, people dreamed of flying into the sky, and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus is a direct confirmation of this. Moreover, even then they understood that they could not do without wings. Well, they could well be replaced by very light and inclined planes of paper and slats relative to the air flow. This is probably how the first kite was born.

In China, this entertainment dates back thousands of years. And later the idea was born to lift a man into the air on a snake. If you believe ancient drawings, the Japanese were quite successful in this centuries ago. Moreover, rising into the sky, tied to kites, they also showered their enemies with arrows.

However, our ancestors also noted no less interesting use of kites. So, in 906, the Kiev prince Oleg used kites during the siege of Constantinople - Constantinople. The chronicle reports that “horses and people made of paper, armed and gilded” appeared above the enemy in the air, that is, they were huge kites made by the Russians. And although they could not cause any harm in principle, they certainly had a moral and psychological impact on the Romans - and a very strong one. After all, people then were very simple and were afraid of everything unusual and incomprehensible.

Subsequently, kites served Russian science well. In particular, it was with the help of a kite that M.V. Lomonosov, starting in 1750, conducted experiments during which he revealed the electrical nature of lightning. Moreover, these experiments in the study of atmospheric electricity were extremely dangerous. So, on June 26, 1753, while flying a kite in a thunderstorm, Lomonosov’s colleague, academician G.V. Richman, died, and despite this, Lomonosov continued his experiments. Snakes at that time were flat and not very stable, although for scientific purposes they were made of considerable size, with an area of ​​several square meters.

At the beginning of the 20th century, kites also contributed to the creation of radio. A. S. Popov used them to raise antennas to a considerable height, which increased the range of receiving and transmitting messages by radio.

At the same time, the talented inventor S.S. Nezhdanovsky was building large kites, which were distinguished by amazing stability and high load-carrying capacity. A student of the famous Russian scientist Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky, Professor S.A. Chaplygin later recalled that the snakes were similar in the shape of their wings to later images of tailless airplanes and gliders, but had more vertical planes.

In 1898, the Russian aeronaut S.A. Ulyanin proposed an interesting project for a “kite train” composed of several kites at once to lift observers and scientific equipment into the air. I liked the idea, so even “despite all the inertia of the tsarist autocracy” (as it was customary to write in Soviet times, although in fact this was not always the case) a special “snake team” was formed. Ulyanin and many other observers more than once rose to a height of over 200 meters. It was decided that such “snake trains” could be used on military and scientific vessels, and used for observations and research in the oceans and the Arctic. With their help, it was possible to lift scientific instruments to a height of up to four to five kilometers. And once a kind of kite lifting height record was even set - 9740 meters!

At sea, kites were usually towed by high-speed destroyers, which sailed against the wind, thus forcing them to rise. The cable connecting the kite to the ship was wound onto a winch and either “hauled” (that is, released) or reeled in, and then the kite was lowered to the ship. A photograph from the Niva magazine for 1902 clearly shows how all this was accomplished. An observer from above signaled the manipulations using a flag semaphore, a common means of communication in maritime practice at that time.

It is also important to note the use of kites in the development of the first aircraft. In particular, A.F. Mozhaisky, before starting construction of his aircraft, conducted a series of tests with kites pulled by a team of horses. Based on these experiments, he chose the dimensions of the aircraft and determined the area of ​​​​its wings, which should provide it with sufficient lifting force.

If we look at photographs of the first airplanes of that time, we will immediately notice how whimsical the imagination of their creators was. There is a disc-shaped wing, “bat wings”, and many wings collected in a package one above the other. A. Mozhaisky's plane was a monoplane, that is, it had only one wing. The Wright brothers' "Flyer" was a biplane and had a pair of wings, but the famous Red Baron von Richthofen flew a triplane during the First World War. And all only because one important rule was always in effect here, derived precisely from the study of kites: the more planes an airplane has, the higher its lifting force.

In 1848, K.I. Konstantinov developed a system for rescuing ships in distress near the shore, on board of which a lifeline was supplied with the help of kites. During the First World War, troops of various countries used kites to raise artillery spotter observers to reconnaissance of enemy positions.

With the development of aeronautics and aircraft, kites began to be used exclusively for entertainment and sporting purposes. It is interesting that before the war, the USSR even held championships of the Soviet Union in kite sports.

Later, water skiing was combined with kite climbing. Currently, this direction has received special development and even its own name - kiting. Today it is a sport in which an athlete moves across the surface of the earth or water using a kite. In this case, the shape of the wings does not matter much - the main thing is that the kite can lift a person into the air!

Date: 2013-08-21

The history of the origin and emergence of the kite is based primarily on legends, traditions and customs. The thing is that the materials used in the manufacture of kites could not be preserved for a long time. Wood, paper, fabric, leaves and branches of plants and similar materials are destroyed quite quickly, especially since no one specifically preserved their kites for descendants. Therefore, ancient legends are our main source of data.

So, let's remember that there is a grain of truth in every fairy tale, put nascent skepticism in a corner and move directly to the story of the kite.

Most likely, the appearance of the kite occurred simultaneously in China and Malaysia. It was in China that the most popular figure for such an item was a snake with the head of a dragon, which is apparently why we have retained this name for several millennia. After this, with Buddhist pilgrims, the kite entered Japan, and from there, with Japanese traders and travelers, it spread throughout all the countries of the Pacific Ocean.

The emergence of the idea of ​​a flying structure is undoubtedly based, like most great discoveries, on facts and phenomena observed in nature. The most popular story is about a Chinese peasant working in the field whose wide-brimmed hat was torn off his head by the wind. At the last moment, the peasant managed to grab the braid tied to the hat, and until the gust of wind ended, this hat floated in the air, struggling to escape into the sky, like a bird.

Of course, I don’t think that this peasant even thought about it, much less immediately went to make a flying hat, but it doesn’t really matter at all. History knows many examples of the successful use of natural actions for the benefit of humanity - this is the principle of the boomerang, and the invention of the wheel and much more. No one knows anymore how exactly this happened, and who exactly thought about it before - the significance of the invention and its popularity absorbed the importance of persons and circumstances. So, did the wind blow off a peasant’s hat, or the next ruler of another dynasty, or even his hat, or perhaps some traveler noticed a huge bird pulling a rope that had been stolen from a pasture and a goat tied to it, which almost managed to escape? There is room for your imagination to run wild...

From the first centuries of its life, the kite was used in three main areas - military operations, rituals and everyday life.

The use of a kite for military purposes was primarily limited to measuring the distance to enemy targets, raising scouts into the air, intimidating enemies (various sound devices were attached to the kite and launched at night into the enemy’s camp, the flying kites made frightening drawn-out sounds, demoralizing superstitious warriors - in 202 BC, General Huang Teng did this, changing the outcome of the battle in his favor).

In Southeast Asia and New Zealand, kites were made from palm leaves and were used for fishing by hanging bait from a kite flying over the water. A woven web was used as bait, which dragged along the water surface and attracted the attention of fish. The victim, attacking the bait, became entangled in the web and became the prey of a fisherman in a boat tied to a snake. Rural workers used kites to scare away birds from the fields, using them as garden scarecrows, or rather field scarecrows.

In India, from ancient times to the present day, kite battles have always been popular, attracting a huge number of spectators to the performance.

In different parts of the Asian region there are a great many legends, myths, fairy tales and epics in which the kite played a very important role. Here, for example, is the story of the samurai Tamemoto, who was exiled to Hachijo Island with his son. Tamemoto did not accept his fate, and, having made a huge kite, rescued his son from captivity, sending him to the mainland.

However, there is real evidence of the existence of giant kites, for example, the Japanese Wang-Wan - a wingspan of 27 m and a tail length of 146 m. Such a colossus weighed about 2.5 tons. To launch such a kite, 200 people were required; a ship's anchor cable was used for the lifeline. If a fairly strong wind was blowing when this kite was launched, then it was impossible to lower Va-Wan to the ground with human power; one had to wait for the wind to weaken. The first evidence of such giants dates back to 1692 in Japan.

Paper lanterns and even fireworks were attached to the kites - it was a fabulous, fantastic show. At night this set looked especially fascinating.

Rituals - it seemed that by moving a little closer to the sky, where the gods lived and, attracting their attention with their bright appearance, there was a greater chance of drawing the attention of the celestials to their prayers. So, for example, by flying a kite, they scared away evil spirits and protected themselves from evil forces, diseases, and asked for a rich harvest. When a child was born in Korea, a kite was launched into the sky, which carried with it all the troubles and misfortunes that came into this world with the newborn.

The European life of the kite in the traditional Asian version began at the end of the 13th century, after the return of the famous traveler Marco Polo from his expedition to Asia. In the description of his trip, M. Polo described in detail the purpose and design of Chinese kites.

However, similar structures existed much earlier - in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Moreover, there is even a hypothesis that the ancient Greek scientist Archytas, having seen a Chinese kite (how could this be? - I did not find a single confirmation) constructed a wooden bird.

Ancient Rome used the power of wind in much the same way as the Chinese. In the first two centuries AD. Roman soldiers used original fabric kites in the form of various animals with wide open mouths as military flags. Such flags were mounted on high poles so that they could be seen from afar. At the same time, they gave confidence to their warriors and frightened their enemies - the developing bright voluminous bodies and tails of animals threatened the enemy with inevitable defeat. In addition, the weather vane showed the strength and direction of the wind, helping the shooters correct their actions.

In Europe, kites became widespread from the 17th century, and they gained greatest popularity from the beginning of the 18th century. And this is almost 500 years after the return of the great traveler Marco Polo from Asia at the end of the 13th century.

M.V. used a kite in his experiments. Lomonosov, I. Newton, L. Euler.

In 1752, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove the electrical nature of lightning. He launched a kite during a thunderstorm, to the rail of which he tied an iron key. The lightning that hit the kite burned it, but along the wet rope it reached the key and sparked around it for some time. The consequence of this experience was the invention of the lightning rod.

Data obtained from studying the aerodynamics of a kite were important material for determining the design of the wings of the first aircraft.

The use of kites for military purposes continued until the early 20th century and reached its peak during the First World War. Kites lifted scouts into the air, who transmitted data to the ground about the localization of enemy forces. Why, they could quickly draw up a map of the area, and this greatly facilitated the tactics of military operations. Kites were used to drop propaganda materials, incendiary bombs and even spies into enemy territory. Steel cables were attached to large kites and raised on the approaches to protected objects; such an obstacle presented a serious obstacle to enemy pilots.

After this, from about the 20s of the 20th century, with the beginning of the rapid development of aviation, kites gradually first faded into the background, and then completely stopped their active military operations.

In the Soviet Union, since the 30s of the last century, kites have been used with great enthusiasm in the active life of the country's population. Pioneers used kites as signaling during war games. In winter, it was possible to turn a kite into a tug, not forgetting to first get on skis or sit on a sled.

Kites for various purposes were assembled into entire “air trains” of several kites differing in size. The number of kites in such a set reached up to ten. This made it possible to repeatedly increase the power of the kite, increase its survivability and functionality when changing weather or other external factors.

Studying the capabilities of a kite and the variety of purposes for its use makes it possible for scientists and researchers to conduct experiments leading to very unexpected results.

One of the most striking examples is the assumption of the American Maureen Clemmon that the Egyptian pyramids were built using the traction force of a kite. This woman's enthusiasm inspired a research group from the California Institute of Technology in 2001, led by aeronautics professor Mori Gharib, to conduct real experiments in lifting weights using a kite. The experiment was a success - they managed to lift and place in a vertical position an obelisk lying on the ground, 4.5 meters long and weighing about three tons. The positive result of the experiment, as well as one of the Egyptian bas-reliefs, located in the Cairo Museum and depicting a large bird-like figure, many people under it and ropes stretched between them, gave rise to the leaders of these experiments to offer their vision of the process of building the Egyptian pyramids. I won’t say anything, especially since citizens versed in Egyptology will throw slippers at me, but as a version, this hypothesis has a right to life - yes, with the help of a kite it is possible to lift weights of any volume to any height. The result depends only on the size of the kite.

Currently, kites are not simply forgotten, they live full, active lives. Kites help meteorologists study the upper atmosphere. Not only a thermometer and a barometer, but also photographic and video equipment can be mounted on kites, subsequently using the obtained data for topographic maps. Using a kite for such purposes is much more profitable, simpler and cheaper than using heavy flying equipment. Making and flying a kite is one of the favorite pastimes of hundreds of thousands of children and adults who organize massive kite flying demonstrations and competitions in different parts of the world. Radio amateurs, both 100 years ago and now, use a kite to obtain a stable signal. In this case, the wire on which the kite is attached acts as a powerful antenna. This method was also used by A.S. Popov in the era of the birth of radio.

Entertainment is the inherent purpose of a kite. You can launch it into the sky and perform aerobatics and aerobatic maneuvers there, or you can use it as a tug and enthusiastically ski on snow-covered plains or on water boards on sea waves. This pleasure is called kitesurfing, and nowadays there are entire companies specializing in the production of kitesurfing equipment. And on the Internet there are several dozen portals offering their services for learning how to kite in winter and summer.

The kite has its own holiday. Every year on the second Sunday of October, World Kite Day is celebrated all over the world.

That's all.

Until next time on the pages of the site.