Rotor kite

AFocke-Achgelis Fa 330rotor kite

Arotor kiteorgyrokiteis an unpowered,rotary-wing aircraft.Like anautogyroorhelicopter,it relies onliftcreated by one or more sets ofrotorsin order to fly. Unlike a helicopter, gyrokites and rotor kites do not have an engine powering their rotors, but while an autogyro has an engine providing forward thrust that keeps the rotor turning, a rotor kite has no engine at all, and relies on either being carried aloft and dropped from another aircraft, or by being towed into the air behind a car or boat or by use of ambient winds for the kiting. As of 2009, no country in the world requires a license to pilot such a craft.

History

• Thomas Ansboro ofGlasgow, Scotlandpatented an autorotating-winged rotor kite in 1891.
• Walter Van Wie filed a patent for aRevolving Kitein 1909 claiming "certain new and useful Improvements" in revolving kites "
• 1933: Filed: July 11, 1933.US2074327by De Courcy and Schwarz forKite.
• 1936: Filed: Aug 1, 1936.US2181477by Carl B. Chupp forAerial Device.

Research into rotor kites or gyrokites was deepened duringWorld War II,and one type in particular, theFocke Achgelis Fa 330,reached active service, being towed behind GermanU-boatsas an aerial observation platform. In the United Kingdom,Raoul Hafnerdesigned theRotachuteas a means of deployingparatroops,and a larger version, theRotabuggy,was trialled as a means of air-dropping ajeep,but neither of these aircraft progressed past the experimental stage. Plans to similarly equip a tank never left the drawing board.

During the 1950s, rotor kites were developed as recreational aircraft, largely due to the efforts of Dr.Igor Bensenin the United States, whoseBensen Aircraft Corporationproduced a series of such aircraft, dubbed "gyrogliders" by Bensen. These were marketed as plans or kits for building at home, beginning with theB-5and culminating with theB-8by the end of the decade. The Bensen designs became so ubiquitous that the term "gyroglider" is sometimes used to refer to any rotor kite, regardless of manufacturer. In the 1960s, a B-8 gyroglider was evaluated by theUnited States Air Forceas a "Discretionary Descent Vehicle", to provide a more controllable alternative than a parachute for a pilot ejecting from a stricken aircraft.

Manned rotor kites

• Bensen Aircraft Corporation
  • Bensen B-5
  • Bensen B-6
  • Bensen B-7
  • A person from Russia named Shumeyko built and flew a gyro hang glider in the 1990s.
  • Stephan Nitsch designed and built a manned rotor kite hang glider; he used the term "Autogiro" for the rotor kite hang glider.
• Focke-Achgelis Fa 330
• Hafner Rotachute
• Hafner Rotabuggy

Unmanned rotor-kites

• Sky Chopper
• Sky Windpower

See also

• Kite types

External links

• Explanation of Gyrogliders
• Bensen Gyrogliders
• Bensen Aircraft Organization