Although now best known for the telephone, in the early twentieth century many people believed that Alexander Graham Bell invented the first airplane. His first flight, in fact, was in 1908, five years after the Wright brothers’. In any case, Bell was among the principal researchers trying to develop a heavier-than-air flying machine.
Bell’s great contribution to this research is the development of the tetrahedral kite. The tetrahedron is the strongest, most rigid symmetrical structure that can exist in nature. Cover any two sides with fabric, and you have the basic cellular structure Bell used. Combining cells produces a kite that does not require extra bracing, is strong and is stable. In 1907 Bell’s 3,393-cell kite flew for seven minutes and lofted a man 168 feet into the air.
Along with his wife, Mabel Hubbard Bell, Bell founded the Aerial Experiment Association whose purpose was “to get into the air.” Eventually the group abandoned tetrahedral kites for more conventional airplane forms.
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