Let the resistive anchor be a free-falling mass and have yourself a
ladder paraglider, manned or unmanned, a true
gliding kite system.
And introducing the free-moving anchor version of Ladder Kite:
Ladder Paraglider, a gliding kite system featuring various
laddered wings (sub-wing count: 2 or more up to thousands of rungs; each
ladder rung may be sized for purposes; rung wings may be soft, medium
soft, hard, or even LTA. Open garden for explorers ...
The gliding kite with Ladder Kite has its anchor moving (a bit more
than a moving hand or running-skipping-jumping human mooring) freely by
the tug of gravity; the tug tenses the kite line set as the Ladder Kite
does its wonderful thing via L/D aeromechanics. Build in whatever
passive or active controls one wishes. Add RATs to the Ladder
Paraglider, if you wish. Have underwater analogue with the paravane
Ladder Paraglider. Operate these at any scale manned or unmanned on
earth or in planetary atmospheres or fluid spheres. Consider a version
that sails with the plasmas of the universe.
JoeF, So
what you see is that flight can be sustained by a "pumping" mass
tethered under a wing? Congratulations, that seems like a New Flight
Mode, although much
ornithopter flight is
closely related. High L/D helps, so the soft
ladderkite is not so
promising (L/D~3) except if opposed by a hot
kiteplane flying patterns.
Consider if the "moving anchor" mass were a wing also. We knew two
wings tethered to each other could sustain flight in wind shear. We
seem to have overlooked that they could
sustain flight by pumping
against each other. The balanced dancing kite folks might have spotted
this. Your insight opens up a lot of new
ponderings.
Thanks for the latest wizardly breakthrough!
daveS
PS Note that the TACO relates existing aircraft engine regs to the
tether as an "engine" force (logical inheritance),
as inspired by your previous "moving anchor" insights as to what a
kite is. All aircraft are kites, seen by your perspective...
[[ED: tension versus torque ?]]