HARGRAVE, LAWRENCE

born Jan. 29, 1850, Greenwich, London, Eng. died July 6, 1915, Sydney, Australia Australian aeronautical pioneer best known for his invention of the box kite. He also made important studies of wing surfaces and worked with rotary engines and gliders. Born and educated in England, Hargrave emigrated to Australia, where he began work in 1866 as a draftsman. In 1872, 1875, and 1876, he participated in explorations of New Guinea, but in 1877 he settled down as assistant astronomical observer at the Sydney Observatory. Leaving in 1883 to begin research on the problems of flight, he made careful studies of the flight of birds and insects. He constructed monoplane models between 1884 and 1892, experimenting with different methods of propulsion. He developed a crude compressed-air rotary engine in 1889. In 1892, after discovering that curved wing surfaces gave twice the lift of flat ones, Hargrave began to work with kites; and, on Nov. 12, 1894, at Stanwell Park, New South Wales, he was lifted 16 feet (4.8 m) off the ground by four box kites of his own construction. Using airplane models, he found that a vertical tailpiece increased stability. He visited England in 1899, read papers describing his experiments, and also exhibited his models. A severe illness in 1903 caused him to turn to other work, and his models eventually were given to museums. Because Hargrave worked in Australia and was thus isolated from other flight pioneers in Europe and the United States, some critics have claimed that his work had little influence upon the history of flight. He never patented his inventions, although he did publicize them in England on one occasion. Thus, some of the ideas that appeared in Europe in Hargrave's day seem traceable to him.