Samuel Cody

Well known in American history as a Wild West showman, Samuel Cody, (no relation to William Fredrick Cody, A.K.A. Buffalo Bill) was a very successful Kite and Aeroplane Designer at the turn of the century in England. After spending some time gold prospecting and touring with a Wild West Show in the US, he decided to settle in England in 1890, where his horse racing talents were more appreciated. He continued with his Wild West showmanship and toured the music halls of England performing his horse riding, lassoing and shooting skills but his real passion was flight and in particular kites.

    Staying one step behind the Wright Brothers, Cody truly pushed the limits of aeronautic technology. Cody began with kites first, experimenting with man-lifting kites and by 1901 he had offered his inventions to the British War Office. He then patented the now famous Cody kite, a two-celled box kite after the design of Anglo-Australian Lawrence Hargrave, but with wings added for lift. This basic Cody "bat kite," of which there are many variations, is considered to be one of the most beautiful kites ever designed. He knew that during the African Boer War the British Army had used observation balloons, but that they took hours to inflate and were useless in winds. His man-hauling Kite was widely accepted as the perfect solution.

     This complicated kite used a series of ropes and a winch to raise a man above the ground in a basket. The War office were interested in it's military application. In a military situation the passenger was equipped with a telescope, telephone, rifle and camera. Messages could be sent the cable to the observer and in return the observer could send messages down in a weighted bag. The bag simply slid down the cable.

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