MetaFilter posts tagged with kite

Ka-ttti!

hadjiboy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:31:54 -0800

Yes, it is that time of year again. When the ski's are filled with "Patang" and you have to do your best to keep yours up. Previously posted before, by you know who.

A New Age of Sail?

[expletive deleted] — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:55:33 -0800

Some time this month, French wine will once again be transported by sail. As the Guardian reports today, French vineyards concerned about climate change are about to make life much easier for oenophiles wishing to reduce their carbon footprint. Later this month, the Belem, a 19th century barque will sail from Languedoc to Dublin with 60,000 bottles of Bordeaux. In other cargo-sail news, DHL and SkySails recently announced the first commercial shipment to use a towing kite to reduce carbon emissions. Pictures of the MS Beluga Skysails underway can be found here. Shipping cargo by sail and SkySails previously on AskMe and on the Blue.

The Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics

Upton O'Good — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:09:54 -0800

A Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, a web-based textbook brought to you by the folks at NASA. A good place to start is the collection of guided tours. And if you just want to experiment a bit, there are simulators for kites, model rockets, engines, and baseballs, among other things.

Come fly a kite!

bonehead — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:23:22 -0800

Sky Sails has a new take on an old idea to save on fuel for marine shipping: kite sails. The twist? No new ships required. Why this is a good idea: marine transport accounts for 4-5% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Putting sails on the existing commercial fleet would shave 1-2% off that. Not much? That's the equivalent of grounding at least half of all of the airplanes in the world.

There are a couple of American companies doing this too: Kite for Sail and KiteShip, but neither seem to be as advanced as the Germans.

Kites: Not just for kids

Gungho — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:18:18 -0800

Quad line kites can be flown in precision by teams of flyers... The advent of precision sport kites has brought kite flying into the realm of adults. You can fly one almost anywhere. You can even fly three at once! Team iQuad , flying quad line kites, demonstrates. No, you don't have to run like Charley Brown, in fact you can even fly indoors.

Carbon fiber - not just for your bike anymore.

kaibutsu — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 08:12:47 -0800

Build your own ultra-lightweight kite, for zero-to-low wind conditions. (In action.)

Not just child's play...

beta male — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:46:25 -0800

Regularly marred by casualties, the two-day Basant festival in Pakistan leaves 11 dead and more than 100 injured. Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to cross and cut a rival's string or damage the other kite, often after betting on the outcome. Previously mentioned on mefi, the practice was banned in 2005 because the sport has become increasingly deadly. The ban on kite running was temporarily lifted for this year's festival. In an obvious flip-side, the ban proved to be a huge loss to the kite-twine manufacturers.

Pa-Thung

hadjiboy — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 04:38:33 -0800

The Indian Patang (pdf). Kite flying in India. Kite flying across the world. A link to the history of Kites resources. And India’s Kite flying effects on birds.

Go fly a kite

Gamblor — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:37:42 -0800

Rake Art. Patterns raked in the sand, then photographed from far above with a kite. (More info on the artist's blog)

Kite Running Banned

johngumbo — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 11:56:45 -0800

Kite Running Banned. For those who read The Kite Runner and who may be waiting for the movie, a bit of info from "real-life." Pakistan has banned the practice because it's too dangerous.

Tapping the Sky

fenriq — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 08:19:48 -0800

45,000 pounds + four 130 foot rotors + up to 200 mph Jet Stream winds = Energy Problem Solved
Like the monster mother of all kites, a company called Sky Windpower (which sports an excellent website about high altitude wind power) has been founded by an Australian engineer with three others to attempt to harness the near limitless windpower of the jet stream with a machine they call an FEG (Flying Electric Generator).
They're currently seeking $4 million to build a 200 kilowatt prototype but still need to get FAA clearance to fly it. The production models would generate 20 megawatts each and would be flown in farms of up to 600 turbines to generate enough power to light up two cities the size of Chicago. Power and control of the huge machines would be handled by a three inch thick tether connected to a winch on a ground station.
Man, I love Popular Science!

Go Fly a Kite!

rory — Wed, 26 Nov 2003 05:31:56 -0800

Looking for a new use for that webcam? Go fly a kite! Kite Aerial Photography has caught the imagination of photographers and hobbyists around the world, and some of the results are spectacular.

tomplus2 — Fri, 18 May 2001 13:04:35 -0800

Kites are cool, but this kite festival site kills me. ....worth clicking on "directions". Flash for everyone.