Box kite

The box kite was invented in 1893 by Lawrence Hargrave,[1] an English-born Australian, as part of his attempt to develop a manned flying machine.

Military uses also involved a kite/radio transmitter combination issued to pilots during World War II for use in liferafts.

However in 2014 Robert Moore and a team of kite experts flew a 12 sq metre DT delta to 16,009 ft above their launch point.

Before Dacron, Spectra, and Kevlar were available, high performance box kites used oiled silk, linen or hemp sails, and were flown with steel cable.

After Hargrave invented the box kite, weather stations from around the world saw the potential for his design.

Diagram of a box kite
Hargrave (left) and Swain demonstrate the Hargrave box kite, November 1894. The skin is drum-tight, a consequence of the unique tensioning system devised by Hargrave. A collapsed kite, rolled up for transport, lies on the ground.