Before NASA 1912-1958The Mylar Flexikites
We have seen many pictures of the Mylar Comet Flexikite, mostly from 1956. (bna-07)
We have seen no pictures of the Jet and Rocket, only drawings on the instructions for use. (bna-08)
None of the Mylar Flexikites followed the Rogallos’ patented flexible kite designs:
- The Comet was bi-conical and made out of a material that was too stiff for the terms of the patent.
- The Jet and Rocket were bi-cylindrical, but made out of material that was too stiff for the terms of the patent.
The earliest Flexikites had “Patent Pending” notices on the kite sails. Later commercial versions had “Manufactured under US patent 2,546,078 and other patents pending” printed on the packaging and the kites.
In the 1970s, a new series of bi-conical Flexikite had “Manufactured under Patent Nos 2,751,172 and 3,396,921, and other Patents Pending” printed on the packaging. (bna-02)
US 2,546,078 is the patent for the bi-cylindrical flexible kite. US 2,751,172 is for the single-arch flexible kite. And US 3,396,921 is a patent for control devices for flexible wing aircraft.
These three patents don’t apply to the Mylar Flexikite designs.
“Other patents pending”, indicates that there is more than one. There is no available documentation applying to them.
The Mylar models, just like the Doplex model, were never successfully patented.
Rogallo still had some Mylar Flexikites available until at least 1997 when he offered Stéphane Malbos a signed model. There was no patent notice on that kite or its packaging.
Although much effort was put into marketing the Mylar Flexikite, it seemingly performed as poorly commercially as when it was flown. This supposedly revolutionary kite was never cloned by anyone. It is now available only as a second-hand “vintage” kite on the Internet.