Improvements in Aëronautical Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 26th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
Improvements in Aëronautical Apparatus.
I, BADEN FLETCHER SMYTH BADEN-POWELL, Lieutenant Scots Guards of
the Guard's Club, London S.W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
--
This invention relates to an aërial appliance consisting of a number of kites sails.
or parachutes placed one above another, so connected together by cords (usually, but
not necessarily leading from the corners or points in the perimeter of one kite to the
corresponding points of the next) that they shall be retained by these cords at a
given distance from one another while floating in the air, and so that their surfaces
shall be nearly parallel, and so that each one shall be so restrained by the others
that it cannot revolve to any great extent without causing the others to do likewise.
The apparatus may be free to fall through the air like a parachute or it may be-
retained by a string so as to float in the air in the same manner as an ordinary
kite, than which it flies more steadily, since each portion of the apparatus is.
steadied by the others when exposed to irregular local eddies of wind. If the
angle of inclination of the lowest kite be altered, that of all the others will by this
arrangement be similarly varied and thus the whole system may be controlled and.
steered in its fall or flight.
Dated this 7th day of June 1895.
Improvements in Aeronautical Apparatus.
I, BADEN FLETCHER SMYTH BADEN-POWELL, Lieutenant Scots Guards of
the Guards Club London S.W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an aërial appliance consisting of a number of kites,.
sails, or parachutes placed one above another, so connected together by cords or wires
(usually but not necessarily leading from near the corners or points in the perimeter
of one kite to the corresponding points of the next) that they shall be retained by
these cords at a given distance from one another whilst floating in the air, and so.
that their surfaces shall be nearly parallel, and so that each one shall be so
restrained by the others that it cannot revolve to any great extent without causing
the others to do likewise. The apparatus may be free to fall through the air like a
parachute or it may be retained by a string so as to float in the air in the same
manner as an ordinary kite, than which it flies more steadily since each portion of
the apparatus is steadied by the others when exposed to irregular local eddies of
wind. If the angle of inclination of the lowest kite be altered, that of all the
others will by this arrangement be similarly varied and thus the whole system may
be controlled and steered in its fall or flight.

page_text: In the accompanying awing
Fig. 1 represents a system of 3 kites A A' A" flying in the air so connected to
one another by cords b b b & b₁₁ that they are retained in a parallel position,
while the whole system is held to the ground by the ordinary kite string a.
Fig. 2 shows a system of 2 kites connected by two strings which have the same
result.
Fig. 3 represents an apparatus consisting of two parachutes P P¹ superposed, &
connected together by a series of cords c c c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is―
An aërial apparatus consisting of two or more kites or parachutes so connected
together one behind the other by two or more cords or wires that each kite or
parachute is retained within a given distance of the one next before or below it, is
kept nearly parallel to it, and is restrained from revolving or turning to any great
extent without causing the other or others to act similarly.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1896.
B. F. S. BADEN-POWELL.