Foils Vs SLE kite BS. PMU.why not make a hybrid?

[Davepalu]

Ive been kitesurfing for a few years. Live in West Australia so wind isnt a problem. Yet el Nino means our season is gonna be less than what is expected. Bought a 15m Best TS after promising never to buy a kite over 11m ,3 years ago. Ithe wind is crap so far and Ive been powered and having fun.

I am stoked the way the "wing" flies, no power spike, no stalling at the top. Kites IMO cant fly with a rider on them properly AND relaunch in less than 9 knots. Unless youre an expert. It has limited fun factor.

Build a kite that has a very thin leading edge that can be pumped up to 12psi, 2/3 struts, AND inlets for foil technology at the top of the kite where the high pressure is. .
A small gap at the top of the leading edge at the high pressure point would fill the thin foil to start to work toward accessible light wind fun. Wouldnt this keep the wing more rigid.

Instead of complaining every year like your ex-wifes divorce, Think outside the box

[CaptainArgh]

...Build a kite that has a very thin leading edge that can be pumped up to 12psi, 2/3 struts, AND inlets for foil technology at the top of the kite where the high pressure is. A small gap at the top of the leading edge at the high pressure point would fill the thin foil to start to work toward accessible light wind fun....

Why?
Why must you wake the beast?!?

[Pump me up]

Build a kite that has a very thin leading edge that can be pumped up to 12psi, 2/3 struts ....Think outside the box

It's already happening. Several well known kite makers are designing and building ultra-high aspect ratio inflatable kites with very thin leading edges and struts, specifically for racing, but useful for other disciplines too. These kites are being designed in response to minor success of ram air kites in racing. They will have the benefits of high-aspect-ratio-flat-luff-curve kites, but with none of the problems of ram airs (twisting, wineglassing, instability in gusts, bridle stretching, poor relaunch, deformation on downwind legs, etc). Expect to see them in the next few months.

[Pump me up]

I should add: a lot of design work is underway re. solid kites that look and behave a lot like hang gliders (i.e. no inflatable OR ram air components). These will blow away everything we've seen to date, ram airs AND inflatables.
Pumpy

[Pump me up]

Why?
Why must you wake the beast?!?

That's not very nice, cap'n. I prefer "highly knowledgeable industry insider and aerodynamics expert."

[foilholio]

Pete you are a machine. Imagine if you could lay pipe like you do posts. Surely youd be a happier man.

[joriws]

I should add: a lot of design work is underway re. solid kites that look and behave a lot like hang gliders (i.e. no inflatable OR ram air components). These will blow away everything we've seen to date, ram airs AND inflatables.

Pumpy
--
I prefer "highly knowledgeable industry insider and aerodynamics expert"

So which way to the "future" Pumpy the industry is going to?

1958

Stick kite?

But how PUMPY can say out loud and be exited to abandon pumps? "no inflatable OR ram air components". I though your nick has some statement? Should you re-nick yourself anti-ram-christ because everything else seems to go?

[CaptainArgh]

Why?
Why must you wake the beast?!?

That's not very nice, cap'n. I prefer "highly knowledgeable industry insider and aerodynamics expert" or just "troll."

Fair enough.

[aircatcher]

Old Peter Lynn C quad did just that with leading edge cabon fiber baton rod,no pumps,no wing collapse in flight ,super flying forward upwind,minimum drag ratio,super efficiency. but what missing is water relaunch and depower features.Someday in future, someone will obsolete all the ram air and inflatos kites with this C quad similar design.

[Johhnn]

Well, this was an idea that I had. I thought it might be advantageous to take the basic foil kite design and add a batten all the way across the leading edge, just like the inflatable tube. The purpose would be to stiffen and remove the creases produced by the cells, at least near the leading edge. Someone told me that the leading edge is the most important part. Wrinkles and imperfections in the trailing edge do not have as large an effect on flight. I am thinking of a thin, fiberglass batten, roughly rectangular in cross section with rounded edges. I don't know if this has been tried, but it seems like a reasonable idea. You would still have a decent relaunch capability. In fact maybe it would be improved since the leading edge would be stiff.