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May 19, 2013
Nice kite system! David Small launched into the air and then took posture to
better his body's lift over drag ratio to be as good a kite wing as he did; he
then kited for a distance and "landed" back on the water. Congratulations,
David, you were able to feel what it like being a kite's wing set. You have
exhibited one type of aquakiting or aqua kiting in a very neat way. Some spiders
have been there as you, as they have attached to power boats with their own made
tow thread; some have hit the water and got flying again. With the high
tow-point tower and a webbed wet suit, I bet a greater distance may be obtained.
Are there rules yet on this body-as-kite-wing water kiting? ~JpF |
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May 18, 2013 at USHawks has a discussion thread on the topic of
aquakiting. Here is the first post there on May 18, 2013:
This topic involves strongly some hang gliding.
This topic thread invites posts concerning the history of towing
inhabited non-powered wings over
water by using the power of boats and ships and submarines or special
water-placed devices to provide resistance to the wind against the inhabited
wings. There is quite a colorful history of powered water hulls being the
resistive towing force for kiting various wings inhabited by humans. The names
for the activity vary widely. Posts are invited about all forms of such kiting
activity, as when the towing line is slack or is released or is broken
accidentally, then gliding occurs; and if the inhabiting person is hanging from
the wing, then a form of hang gliding occurs; if the inhabited person is not
hanging from the wing, then hang gliding does not occur, I suggest. There will
be interesting examples of such kiting in early history. There are some
spectacular scenes. Person stories. And more. Look to submarine history,
recreational history, water ski kiting history, war stories, scientific
expeditions. Watch for the hang gliding that comes from accidents or
emergencies; watch for hang gliding that occurs because the main kiting session
is finished and return to water surface is accepted; watch for businesses
dedicated to the water environment for tow up with dominant purpose of the
release and gliding time. The under-tow time is special; the accident or
incidental or deliberate hang gliding time has its special characteristics.
Mostly soaring updrafts is not part of the picture ....yet. The future of this
venue has more to offer; feel free to speculate about the future of aqua kiting
that has significant hang gliding sectors to the operations; in the speculations
consider XOHG (cross-ocean hang gliding) that may involve multiple aqua kiting
by powered water hulls (the hull might be a water drogue gaining its resistance
from waves and water currents of various qualities). Inhabited aqua kiting
started way before the Ken Tibado era (and friends and customers), Thomas H.
Purcell, Jr, Mike Burns, John Dickenson, Bill Bennett, Bill Moyes, and hundreds
of others. The craft and challenges and stores of the very early can be fun, as
well as the interesting stories of the later systems and players. And
contemporary inhabited kiting over water is exploding in many forms that involve
sectors of hang gliding, including kiteboarding with deliberate acrobatic
sectors of hang gliding (mostly with limp-sail wings in the system); but watch
for other contemporary aqua kiting that involves a hang gliding sectors. Have
fun from time to time and add to this aqua kiting history. Many US citizens from
the aqua kiting space have played keen roles in US hang gliding history; their
stories are invited in this topic thread. 
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