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An excellent way for
students to gain a feel for aerodynamic
forces is to fly a kite.
History of Kites
Kites have been around
for thousands of years and they are a part of many different cultures
around the world. There is a lot of information available on the web
concerning the history of kites, so we will not duplicate that information
here. We suggest that you use your favorite search engine to find this
information. (Search on the phrase "History of Kites"). From an
aerodynamics point of view, two of the most important users of kites were
the Wright brothers.
In 1899, as they were developing their theories for the control of an
aircraft by using wing warping,
they built a small maneuverable kite to verify their ideas. Between 1900
and 1903 they would often fly their gliders
as unmanned kites at
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These experiments led
directly to their successful 1903 aircraft.
Types of Kites
A wide variety of kite
kits and kite accessories are available at department, hobby, and toy
stores. You can even design and build your own kites. This slide shows some
of the more popular types of kites. (The names for the various kites are
not standardized - what I call a diamond kite may be called a two-stick
kite at another site, and my "Delta" kite may be called a
"bat" somewhere else.) Once again, there is a lot of information
available on the web concerning kite design and purchase. (Search on the
phrase "Kite Design" with your search engine).
Forces on a Kite
Each of the kites on
this slide looks
different than another kite, but the forces
acting on all the kites is exactly the same. In fact, with the exception of
thrust,
the forces acting on a kite are also the same forces
which act on an airliner or a fighter plane. Like an aircraft, kites are heavier
than air and rely on aerodynamic
forces to fly. Gas balloons and bubbles, on the other hand, are lighter
than air and rely on buoyancy forces to fly. Like an aircraft, kites
have a solid frame
normally made of wood or plastic, and this frame is covered by a paper,
plastic, or cloth "skin" to generate the lift
necessary to overcome the kite's weight. A
kite must be made as light as possible for good performance, yet be strong
enough to withstand high winds. Determining the forces on a kite can be
difficult, so we have prepared a kite simulator to let you study these forces.
You can use KiteModeler
to design your own kites. You can then build a kite based on your design
and compare the results with the computer program.
Flying
While the forces on all
kites are the same, each kite flies a
little differently. Some kites are highly maneuverable and some kites are
very stable. There are kites with multiple control lines that can perform
stunts, while other kites can be flown to high altitudes. We can use math
techniques that you learn in school to determine the altitude of a kite graphically.
With a little more knowledge of mathematics, you can actually calculate
the altitude at which the kite is flying.
Regardless of the type
of kite, the flyer must always fly safely
for the protection of others, to protect property, and to insure that the
kite can be flown again.
Have Fun!
Activities:
Where
to buy kites: www.kitesrus.com
Guided
Tours
 Forces
on a Kite  - Kite
Flying
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