Inflatable single-line kite
Encyclopedia
Parafoil
A parafoil is a nonrigid airfoil with an aerodynamic cell structure which is inflated by the wind. Ram-air inflation forces the parafoil into a classic wing cross-section. Parafoils are most commonly constructed out of ripstop nylon....
inflatable single-line kite is one of the few modern inventions in the world of kite
Kite
A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...
design. Although Francis Rogallo
Francis Rogallo
Francis Melvin Rogallo was an American aeronautical engineer inventor born in Sanger, California, U.S.A.; he is credited with the invention of the Rogallo wing, or "flexible wing", a precursor to the modern hang glider and paraglider...
's early kite patents had ram-air members in the claims, Domina Jalbert
Domina Jalbert
Domina Jalbert invented the ram-air inflated flexible wing often called the "Jalbert parafoil".-Life:Settling into Boca Raton, Florida, after arriving from Quebec, Canada, he established his business Aerology....
's parafoil ram-air wing, patented in 1944, emphatically changed the kite airscape for inflatable kites.
Kytoon
Kytoon
A kytoon is a kite with a significant amount of aerostatic lift from a lighter than air gas carried within.The primary advantage of a kytoon is that it remains up and at a reasonably stable position above the tether point, irrespective of the wind.The kytoon has been used in peace and war...
s and balloon kites are inflatable kites. Kites sometimes combine ram-air inflation as well as closed-bladder inflation. The shape is loosely derived from an airfoil
Parafoil
A parafoil is a nonrigid airfoil with an aerodynamic cell structure which is inflated by the wind. Ram-air inflation forces the parafoil into a classic wing cross-section. Parafoils are most commonly constructed out of ripstop nylon....
with air inlets usually at the front, and a bridle
Bridle
A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit....
which distributes the tether line loads evenly across the whole base of the kite. These kites have no rigid spars.
The immense strength of synthetic fabrics allows the creation of non-rigid three-dimensional
Dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
shapes which hold their shape because the pressure
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
of the air inside the kite is slightly higher (about 4 bar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
) than the pressure outside.
As with hot air balloons, artistic creativity is often applied, so that fish, cats, and many other animals and characters are depicted. Sizes range from 2m in length to 65m. The world's largest kites are inflatable single-line kites designed and made by New Zealand kitemaker Peter Lynn
Peter Lynn
Peter Lynn is a New Zealand kitemaker, engineer and inventor. He is notable for his construction of the world's largest kites , giant inflatable display kites , the popularisation of kite buggying and contributions to the development of power kiting and kitesurfing...
.
Types of inflatable single-line kites
- Ram-air-only soft fully flexible kite
- Ram-air-only inflation with spars also
- Gas inflatable kytoons. These are variously inflated with air, helium, hydrogen. When the kite wing is heavier-than-air, then the kytoon needs relative wind to fly. When the kite wing is lighter-than-air then the kytoon will stay aloft when the relative wind is below what is needed for kiting.
- Kites that combine both ram-air inflation and gas-bladders that are inflated.
Patents on inflatable kites
- Francis RogalloFrancis RogalloFrancis Melvin Rogallo was an American aeronautical engineer inventor born in Sanger, California, U.S.A.; he is credited with the invention of the Rogallo wing, or "flexible wing", a precursor to the modern hang glider and paraglider...
- Domina JalbertDomina JalbertDomina Jalbert invented the ram-air inflated flexible wing often called the "Jalbert parafoil".-Life:Settling into Boca Raton, Florida, after arriving from Quebec, Canada, he established his business Aerology....
- Kite Julius M. Christoffel, Jr.
- INFLATABLE KITE BY A. Pohl
- Inflatable kite Louis Lawrence Laske
- Kite. (design)
- Kite, Captive or Observation balloon. (kytoon)