Hybrid design: other designs

While discussing some hybrid issues on the rec.kites newsgroup, Paul Watson from Australia contacted me through E-mail with regards to my hybrid design. After further correspondence on our particular ideas he sent me some pictures of this design which he has been making and flying for a while now. This was an application of my second camber inducing method(type B). At least my thoughts are in the right direction! Here are some pictures of his kite called "Trident".
Trident on the ground Trident in flight!

Note the partial ribs on the grounded kite supported by battens along the chord-line as well as a big difference during flight in comparison with a C-quad. In theory more lift will be generated as a whole over the skin of this kite compared to the C-Quad because the foil thickness doesn't undulate.

...snippet from a newsgroup posting by Paul:

Rather than go down the "Rogallo" path, I chose the "Jalbert" one for my hybrid. As Gene mentioned, I have designed my own "single skin" hybrid traction kite. You might call it a single surface spar augmented parafoil (although I prefer the term "hybrid")! It has, in my opinion, superior performance to every parafoil I have flown (including N'Gen, Peel, Quad Peel, various own designs). This is not because it has a single surface but because the semi-rigid structure allows significant reductions in parasitic and profile drag, IMO (fewer rigging lines and a very tight LE/1/3rd chord). It is ridiculously easy to make because it has only five ribs and can be made with two (or even one) large skin panels (albeit without a performance optimised sail). I have matched it with C-Quads of comparable area on many occasions, including on a 30km out and return beach buggy trip with a friend, and have found it FAR from wanting - again IMO.

Looks...Perhaps, unfortunately, it looks a bit like the C-Quad (it has a curved LE spar - as if there would be any sense in giving it a rectangular planform just to make it look different) and will perhaps be mistaken for one by people not able to discern the differences (the C-quad is the first kite of this genre and will be definitive for some time). This situation is perhaps analogous to that of a stanger to parafoils mistaking one for another (In fact the differences between my kite and the C-Quad are even more substantial than in this field) - I remember when people called every four line parafoil a "Quadrifoil". At any rate, notwithstanding this, I am blissfully happy with my kite and would swear-off parafoils forever if I could only make my hybrid as easy to pack up!

I believe that there may be the possibility of photos of my kite appearing on Gene's High A/R site if he includes a hybrid brainstorming page. This is a laudable intention and should speed up development of this new and VERY exciting form of traction kite. [Good on you Gene , for your ongoing contributions to traction kite development!]

I hope, David, that your project meets with success and would love to see photos it they became available.

This is a dynamic new area of traction kite development and the potential for efficiency gains is quite considerable. I am sure that eventually the term "traction kite" will end up being no longer synonymous with "parafoil" (as it has become to a large extent). The Legaignoux brothers' Wipika and, of course, Peter Lynn's C-Quad have gone a long way to making this possible and these designers should be seen as real pioneers. They have helped make kite traction design more exciting that it has, perhaps, been for a long time - at least for me! :-)

Smooth Winds,

Paul
 

Another design very much like the type E camber inducing method was implemented by Simon Stapleton where the battens where bent to an airodynamic profile by the tension in the sailskin and bridle.

Someone I only know as Gadget published the following design idea.

Frans Nijhuis has taken the NPW5 and enhanced it to a higher level of performance. Check out his site for complete instruction on making this single skin hybrid from the NPW plans.