DR BELL'S MAN-LIFTING KITE 



THROUGH the courtesy of Dr 

 Alexander Graham Bell, the 

 National Geographic Maga- 

 zine is enabled to print the following 

 series of illustrations of his experiments 

 with his gigantic man-lifting kite, the 

 Cygnet. This kite was sent up in De- 

 cember, 1907, both with and without a 

 man. The pictures on pages 42-44 show 

 it aloft, carrying no weight, while those 

 on pages 49-52 illustrate the flight when 

 Lieutenant Selfridge, of the United 

 States Army, ascended to a height of 168 

 feet and remained in the air for over 

 seven minutes. 



While Dr Bell's ultimate object is to 

 secure a flying machine that will support 

 itself in the air at a moderate rate of 

 speed,* the experiments with the Cygnet 



* See "Aerial Locomotion, with a few notes 

 of progress in the construction of the Aero- 

 drome." By Dr Alexander Graham Bell, Na- 

 tional Geographic Magazine, January, 1907. 



have been mainly studies in stability. 

 The wonderful steadiness of this form of 

 structure is shown by the pictures and 

 especially by the. fact that the Cygnet de- 

 scended from 168 feet to the water so 

 slowly and evenly that the man aboard 

 did not realize he was dropping until he 

 found the kite in the water. The kite 

 flew as easily with Lieutenant Selfridge 

 aboard as it had on the previous trial with 

 no load, and could undoubtedly have 

 borne a weight several times as great as 

 that of one man. Owing to the severity 

 of the winter in Baddeck, Cape Breton, 

 Nova Scotia, where these experiments 

 are being conducted, it has been neces- 

 sary to postpone further nights until the 

 spring, when the work will be resumed. 



Dr Bell's next step will be to put a 

 powerful light motor on a modified 

 form of the Cygnet. 



The photographs were taken by Mr 

 J. A. Douglas McCurdy. 



HHT~ 



PRACTICE DRILL WITH A SMALL KITE 

 The water shield in the bow keeps the men comparatively dry 



