Author: Francis Rolt-Wheeler

Publisher:

Published: 2008-10-01

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781409937395

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ...hour, sir," said Tom, as he ran down the ladder, ' 'by the anemometer dial." "Well, " the Forecaster replied, "fourteen miles an hour is a good enough breeze for kite-flying. How about it, boys? Shall we try a flight today?" "Oh, let's " the boys exclaimed. "Very well," said the Forecaster, "we'll put the kites together. Have any of you ever seen a weather kite?" he queried. "I've seen a picture of one, sir," said Fred. "I saw it in one of the Weather Bureau booklets. It looked like a box with the ends knocked out. Are these like that?" "Yes," the weather expert replied, "all over the world the Hargrave or box kite is used. There 's a little difference in the methods of bracing the frames, but the principle of them all is the same." "Are they the best kites for lifting, sir?" asked Anton. "I saw a picture, once, of a man being carried along the ground by a kite, but it didn't look like this. It was like a lot of little triangles all piled one on top of the other." "That's a difierent kind," the Forecaster answered, "it's called a tetrahedral kite, and was invented by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. They will lift a man quite easily. Owing to the form of construction, they 're much heavier and harder to handle and they won't go up as high. The box kites fly higher and more easily. They'll go up even in the lightest wind, and that 's quite important, boys, because you must remember that sometimes there's quite a strong wind in the upper layers of the air when there 's only a zephyr below. As you...