Cody's War Kites' Sets New Record  

Suffolk, England, December 1902, Samuel Cody, the wild west cow-boy, came close to death in a courageous demonstration of his famous "war kites". He was testing a new system in front of a crowd of over 600 onlookers at Bury St Edmunds, England. The first part of the operation went according to plan, with several types of "lifter kites" helping to support the heavy cable that in turn supports the main kite.

But, shortly after Cody kite left the ground, the wind changed. The lifter kites swooped sideways and down, to treetop height. Cody could do nothing as they pulled him down in a great arc toward the ground. Then, just as it seemed that he must crash, he was blown into the branches of an oak tree. 

Scratched and bruised, but safely back on the ground, Cody told the anxious crowd: "Well, that's enough for today." Cody's kites are a familiar sight wherever he takes his popular wild west show, The Kiondyke Nugget. In August this year one of his unmanned kites reached a record height of 14,000 feet to conduct meteorological experiments, earning him a fellowship of the Royal Meteorological Society