kitepdx

KiteMotor- 1.3m flying turbine in background, ground-based 6V generator in right foreground.. Fishing poles used as fairleads/dipping booms to winches. The system is completed by a Lifter Kite, a cheap sled potentially like the BirdSled below, & a Helium Pilot Kite, versions also below.

Close-up of winch on turbine axis. A closed loop of line runs to a matched winch on geared generator on the ground.

Wing construction- foam embedded "broom-weed" of wood & bamboo along internal load paths, nylon acrylic compostite soft skin is a second loadpath system, foam core integrates the two structural nets. Designed to about 200 kph tip-speed yet people safe soft. Trailing edge eddy fringe adds area & inhibits detached flow at high AoA. "Rustic" millimeter finish & turbulation features to promote benificial boundary-layer & shorten construction. NASA slow speed foil at root morphs into high-speed foil section at tip.

The ground-base generator for a second kite-motor designed to harness a standard traction kite sweeping a figure eight. The generator is faintly visible behind the wheel, the right pedal is cast in concrete as a counterweight to the kite pulling thru the red line tied to the left pedal.

Larval Clown Helium-Pilotkite- note single-spar skyhook under balloon also shown flying under delta below.

Adding Sail- single-spar skyhook flying under delta pilot-kite effectively boosts overall pull in light conditions.

3-line Deltoid Helium-kite rocks. Bridle attached by larkshead to simple overhand knot in plastic tablecloth. Made in 20 minutes.

HeliumKites

BirdSled Lifter Concept- tail would be replaced by helium stability. A swim noodle is standing in for blimp airbeam function.

Wide-angle detail, note high AR forewing, an emulation of grey whale pectoral fin, tail in foreground digs in at high AoA for "grunt", high traction power

Tail detail- untaylored membrane achieves fine form.

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BirdSled video clip