Big rain collecting kites that funnel rainwater to storage on board long distance cruisers
Kites that you fly by remote control is such a novel idea. I wonder if anyone ever tried to do such a thing or even remote controlled hang gliders with a video cameras that fly in the jetstream.What a rush! Load bearing rogallo wings that fly in the jetstream delivering products by remote control.
I remember reading about this Tibetan monk (Tuesday Lobsang Rampa) who made a kite so big he could ride it in Himalayan winds that sweep through the mountains.. Now that would take some engineering. He was the very first hang-glider pilot. This was in a book written in the 30's or 40's about his exploits. A remarkable, nimble mind. I include a description from his book The Third Eye:
"Back in the lamasery, there was much scurrying about as we
carried out the materials with which to assemble the kites.
Everything was carefully inspected. The spruce-wood poles were
examined inch by inch to make certain that they were free from
flaws or other damage. The silk with which the kites were to be
covered was unrolled upon a smooth clean floor. Monks on hands
and knees crept about in order carefully to test and view every
square foot. With the examiners satisfied, the framework was
lashed into position and little retaining wedges rammed home. This
kite was of boxkite form, about eight feet square and about ten feet
long. Wings extended eight or nine feet from the two “horizontal”
sides. Beneath the tips there had to be fixed bamboo half-hoops to
act as skids and to protect the wings when taking off and landing.
At the “floor” of the kite, which was strengthened, there was a
long bamboo skid which tapered upwards like our Tibetan boots.
This particular pole was as thick as my wrist and was strutted so
that even with the kite at rest, there was no ground touching the
silk, the skid and wing-protectors preventing it. I was not at all
happy at first sight of the rope of yak hair. It looked flimsy. A vee
of it was fastened to the wing-roots and reached to just in front of
the skid. Two monks picked up the kite and carried it to the end of
the flat tableland. It was quite a struggle lifting it over the updraught
of air, and many monks had to hold it and carry it across.
First there was to be a trial; for this we were going to hold the
rope and pull instead of using horses. A party of monks held the
rope, and the Kite Master watched carefully. At his signal they
ran as fast as they could, dragging the kite with them. It hit the
air-stream from the fissure in the rock, and up into the air it leapt
like a huge bird. The monks handling the rope were very experi-
enced, and they soon paid out rope so that the kite could rise
higher and higher. They held the line firmly, and one monk,
tucking his robe around his waist, climbed the rope for about ten
feet to test the lifting-power. Another followed him, and the two
moved up so that a third man could try. The airlift was enough to
support two grown men and one boy, but not quite enough for
three men. This was not good enough for the Kite Master, so the
monks hauled in the rope, making very sure that the kite avoided
the rising air-currents. We all moved from the landing area,
except for the monks on the rope and two more to steady the kite
as it landed. Down it came, seemingly reluctant to come to earth."
Giant parasails pulling great ships would save on fuel. By the same token simply sail into squalls to collect rainwater for the bottling market. The ship would be designed to catch and store clean rainwater.
examined inch by inch to make certain that they were free from
flaws or other damage. The silk with which the kites were to be
covered was unrolled upon a smooth clean floor. Monks on hands
and knees crept about in order carefully to test and view every
square foot. With the examiners satisfied, the framework was
lashed into position and little retaining wedges rammed home. This
kite was of boxkite form, about eight feet square and about ten feet
long. Wings extended eight or nine feet from the two “horizontal”
sides. Beneath the tips there had to be fixed bamboo half-hoops to
act as skids and to protect the wings when taking off and landing.
At the “floor” of the kite, which was strengthened, there was a
long bamboo skid which tapered upwards like our Tibetan boots.
This particular pole was as thick as my wrist and was strutted so
that even with the kite at rest, there was no ground touching the
silk, the skid and wing-protectors preventing it. I was not at all
happy at first sight of the rope of yak hair. It looked flimsy. A vee
of it was fastened to the wing-roots and reached to just in front of
the skid. Two monks picked up the kite and carried it to the end of
the flat tableland. It was quite a struggle lifting it over the updraught
of air, and many monks had to hold it and carry it across.
First there was to be a trial; for this we were going to hold the
rope and pull instead of using horses. A party of monks held the
rope, and the Kite Master watched carefully. At his signal they
ran as fast as they could, dragging the kite with them. It hit the
air-stream from the fissure in the rock, and up into the air it leapt
like a huge bird. The monks handling the rope were very experi-
enced, and they soon paid out rope so that the kite could rise
higher and higher. They held the line firmly, and one monk,
tucking his robe around his waist, climbed the rope for about ten
feet to test the lifting-power. Another followed him, and the two
moved up so that a third man could try. The airlift was enough to
support two grown men and one boy, but not quite enough for
three men. This was not good enough for the Kite Master, so the
monks hauled in the rope, making very sure that the kite avoided
the rising air-currents. We all moved from the landing area,
except for the monks on the rope and two more to steady the kite
as it landed. Down it came, seemingly reluctant to come to earth."
Giant parasails pulling great ships would save on fuel. By the same token simply sail into squalls to collect rainwater for the bottling market. The ship would be designed to catch and store clean rainwater.
Kites are a good way for children to investigate the winds that blow in the Spring. Giving a child the ability to learn about kites and how to fly them safely improves a child's confidence. This is a relatively inexpensive hobby for Father and Son.
No comments:
Post a Comment