David Thayer
David Thayer was an aero inventor in Boston. He had a patent related to kites and one to an interesting way of towing things on the ground from kites.
This invention received some press coverage, e.g.[1]
The most original and unique idea, however, hails from Dr. David Thayer, of Boston, Mass., in which he uses the kite as a motor.
The one great fault in this respect has been the amount of power expended in keeping the kite in the air. Every boy knows that in a light wind the simple weight of the cord will reduce the "pull" of the kite to a minimum. This fact has made kite propulsion only satisfactory in a stiff breeze. Dr. Thayer has remedied this defect by means of a raft made to float on the sea, having three main guys of rope attached to one end. These are sustained in the air by means of small balloons filled iwth gas. Below these are a number of sails, made fairly rigid by bamboo attachments (like the sail of a Chinese junk). These are about three times as long as they are broad, and fitted at each end with a species of wing, a proper manipulation of which directs the course of the machine. The main guy ropes are about forty feet long, and midway between the raft and the sails and balloons, is located the passenger car.
Thayer was apparently also involved in Boston politics.[2]
Patents whose inventor or applicant is David Thayer
- Patent GB-1889-12320 (English title: Kites, Supplementary to patent: Patent US-1889-417755)
- Patent US-1889-417755 (English title: Aerial apparatus, Filing date: 1889-07-22)
- Patent DE-1890-51499 (English title: Flying device for towing vehicles of different heights, Filing date: 1889-08-18)
References
Links
| Names | David Thayer |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 1813 |
| Death date | 1893-12-15 |
| Countries | US |
| Locations | Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Occupations | physician |
| Tech areas | Kite |
| Affiliations | |
| Wikidata id |
