Send AWE notes and topic replies to editor@upperwindpower.com

Since the Rogallos, Barrish, and Dave Culp developed amazing single skin power kites, they have held their own next to Jalbert's parafoil. kPower got into SS wings via Culp, and came to see them as the core future of AWE. Peter Lynn has come to the same conclusion. In the last ten years, kite sports have increasingly adopted SS wings at the expense of LEI and parafoil classes. We have watched them become a craze since our pals, Reinhart Paelinck (Flysurfer) and Luc d-Armand (Ozone) created the new generation of hot SS kites.

Now SS is totally a "thing", as this Kiteboarder 2021 feature article shows. The text is cut off by a paywall, but we can confidently guess the kite finished brilliantly, and also look at the wing on its product page, derived from Reinhart's original FlySurfer version.

• Vol. 17, No. 3: Single Skin Ascent | The Kiteboarder Magazine
• Flysurfer Peak 4 Single Skin Kite. (hardwaterkiter.com)
  

Dear Dave and Joe,                         Oct. 25, 2020
I hope you are well in these weird times. The Peak indeed has unlocked an entire new class of "easy and safe" kiting, on snow, land and also water.
For your reference, I was in charge of the Peak 1 and 2; after that, Benni Boelli has taken over the Baton as kite designer at Flysurfer. Great talent !
Best regards,
Reinhart

Click image for large size:

Max,

There are always "flight anomalies" in real free-flight, due to turbulence and practical limits of active control stability. These factors worst affect all the single-line topology rigid-wing composite AWES, not NPWs. The WindSled Polar expeditions, at least, can count on the crashworthiness of their SS NPWs. NASA only considered free-flight of NPWs. Even so, the NPW is a proven winner with cult-like status in power-kite circles.

"Structurally, the intermediate-scale parawings were consider-
ably more sophisticated than the small-scale wings. Design of the
large wings required that the canopies have adequate structure in
the direction of primary loads, where the load path direction
changed appreciably with geometry changes in the wing during the
deployment process. Also, these large wings with their asymmetric
planforms presented problems in controlling canopy fabric during
initial deployment. Indeed, parawing canopy structural problems
and deployment damage were the only major problems encountered
in the intermediate-scale test program. These problems manifested
themselves in the single keel parawing specimen early in the test
program. The single keel structural problems, cou~led with the
demonstrated higher gliding performance potential of the twin keel
parawing, were the bases for discontinuing further testing with
single keel parawings beyond the initial two tests. Later in the
test program similar structural problems were encountered with
the twin keel parawing specimen. A number of significant struc-
tural modifications were carried out on the twin keel wing to
overcome these problems. The structural modifications included
the addition of ten leading edge suspension lines, reinforcement
of certain critically loaded areas in the canopy, and the addition
of ripstop tape networks to the canopy. These structural modifi-
cations are described in detail in the section on INTERMEDIATE-
SCALE PARAWING TEST SPECIMENS."

Click image for large size

SS kites relentlessly improve fast. Hot SS power-kites were still a dream just ten years ago. I recall asking Pete Lynn in 2007 if he believed in them. We both did, in our imaginations.

Reinhart Paelinck's Flysurfer Peak SS lineage continues to introduce innovations and refinements, now in this best-selling snow-kite version-

1. Flysurfer Peak4 Single Skin Snowkite   at FlySurfer home site, details 
   
2. Flysurfer Peak4 Single Skin Snowkite   at Adventure ....
   

Covers extensive NASA "parawing" testing at "Intermediate Scale" (~400m2) with Theoretic Applicability to "Large Scale"  (~1000m2).

Lots of test data and engineering details. 302 pages.

Nasa Power Wings (NPWs) were intended to to recover returning spacecraft, deploying from furled packed state, with high peak forces.

Solution detail: Furling lines run through metal rings (hobbyist furling/trim lines run in sewn sleeves, with limited restricted action).

Context: by 1970 NASA had developed a basic power kite type to a high TRL (COTS) and TPL (power-to-mass), scalable to 1000m2 and beyond.

Research amounts to an Airborne Wind Energy Reference Design suited to compare other Reference Designs in matrix-scoring, sims, and flyoff.

Competing composite rigid-wing AWES airframes currently only survive a few hours, are extremely expensive, and do not scale. 

NPWs are superior in every critical parameter. Crashworthy, they easily last >2000hrs, and are cheap (low capital-cost, fast payback). 

Close megascale Lattice Kite Network Unit-Cell similarity-case. kPower has >10yrs NPW AWES-specific testing. Iso-radial version in development.

Large habitable Windsleds powered by NPWs have revolutionized Polar Exploration. There is a lot future in this space-age wing technology.

NPWBill wrote: "The old (NPW) gang that used to meet is no longer together and I haven't heard from any of them for at least a decade. I'd love to see it come back but I have my doubts and at 77 I can't fly those trucks anymore"

Bill,

In TX and WA we have learned to fly big power kites anchored in the ground. Because there is no downwind give, the power is monstrous. The pilot stays upwind of the anchor, so it is safe, but there is still an amazing feeling of power. From there, we worked out how to power generators and do mechanical work, but there is still a lot to learn.

Introducing Eve of the Windsled folks who explore Polar regions with NPWs, and Andrew, who has NPW expedition background too.

Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) based on SS kites is the future. Nothing is cheaper or more powerful by mass. Your NPW experience is very valuable. Do you still make kites?

------------

The other NPW Bill, still trying to contact:    2e5.com    Bill Ola Rasmussen

His NPWC is the "missing link" between NPW and KiteShip OL.   


kPower needs a research prototype made like a 3-way NPW that can fly in any direction:

OL shown in inset, upper left:

Click to enlarge:

Click image for large size:

PEAK3 ... Designer talk