It is a good megascale comparative case, internal Mothra loadpaths v. Parafoil bridles; with predicted specific advantages for arch loadpaths to properly validate.

A synergistic solution is to have both tensile systems, and shift tension onto the central bridle briefly during weathercocking, loosing and resetting the arch loadpath foci around the anchor circle, with small actuation force (alternatively, the upwind-side can pull a downwind side into crosswind balance). We can also concentrate an airborne payload at a central bridle-point of a hybrid arch. An upcoming MonoMothra arch will have a payload bridle, and we must try weathercocking with it.

Kites have long been staked out by their bridles, as Dave Culp* points out. Giant soft kites often have the arch principle weakly in play by "staked out" taglines, with a central main tether/multibridle*. The tagline or bridle is quite common, but the arch loadpath idea has not been obvious to most experts in AWE, hidden in the sled, in plain sight,

* add Eiji Ohashi, George Peters, Anders Ansar, Roy Mueller, etc., to arch teacher list.
David Barish, Domina Jalbert, Francis M. Rogallo, and so on, also figure in the prior art.

** Lateral stabilizing taglines on kites are ancient.

• CC BY NC SA         ~Dave Santos         29Sept2013              Discuss at:  AirborneWindEnergy10255

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