A soldier samples the delights of Cody’s Glider Kite at Farnborough in 1905. The “ailerons” beneath the lower wing extremities are evident.

Several Royal Engineers made flights in Cody’s biplane glider-kite of 1905, in which they lay prone on the lower centre section and were towed into the air, then released to glide down.

It is possible that unmanned free flights were made by the curious ‘power kite’ of 1907, which had a 12hp (9kW) Buchet engine.

The enigmatic Cody Wright-type glider/kite under test, circa 1907/1908.

In this study of British Army Aeroplane No.1 undergoing modification in late 1908, the Wright-type glider can be seen suspended from the roof in the centre of the picture.