Marcel Maillot's Gigantic Kite
Marcel Maillot of France got the attention of spectators and newspapers alike with the flight of his very large kite that was designed to lift payloads as a test for lifting a person.
Accompanied by a ground crew of four manipulating the kite lines, Maillot succeeded in having the kite lift a bag of earth weighing 150 lbs (68 kilograms) in 1886. The kite and its flight attracted the attention of the Scientific American magazine which published an article with a drawing on November 13, 1886.
The Maillot kite was huge. The sail area was 85 square yards. The frame alone weighed 150 pounds and the canvas sail and cords weighed 99 pounds according to the article. Details on Maillot's kite building and flying achievements are relatively sparse compared to some other kite pioneers.
The complete Scientific American article on Maillot's kite is available in PDF format here.
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