biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1850–1915)
|
| biography:
| Aeronautical pioneer, born in Greenwich, EC Greater London, UK. He arrived in Sydney in 1865, and spent five years exploring in New Guinea before being appointed to a post at the Sydney Observatory (1878). He resigned five years later to devote his time to aeronautical experiments. In 1893 he developed the box-kite to produce a wing form used in early aircraft, and in 1894 four tethered kites successfully lifted him 5 m from the ground. He also designed a radial rotary engine in 1899, the predecessor of the engine which drove most aircraft in the early days of aviation. His other projects included wave-driven ships and a one-wheel gyroscopic car. |
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