Building
The Japanese
used the lifting property of the kite to lift tiles and bricks
to workmen building towers. The objects were carried using baskets
attached to huge kites.
Warfare
Both in the
First and Second World Wars the Germans used man-lifting kites
to increase their observation at sea. The kites were flown from
the submarines while surface cruising. This increased their visibility
at sea from 5 miles to 25 miles at sea level. The huge box kites
carrying men flew at an altitude of 400 feet. They were towed
behind the submarines and did not need a strong wind to lift them.
Fishing
Asian fishermen
still used kites today in order to catch fish. A long line, with
a hook attached is suspended from the kite and enters the water.
The advantage of using a kite for fishing is that the kite does
not create a shadow on the water and secondly the use of the kite
gives the fisherman a very long cast. In their simplest forms
these kites were made from large leaves, threaded with strips
of bamboo. The hook was attached at some considerable distance
from the tail.
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