[Paddlewise] Survival Kites

Thanks Doug for that link to the above. And I loved Ralph D's story about
kite wars over NY!  Wow,  you sure breed 'em tough over there in the Big
Apple!
The kite Doug pointed us to,  reminds me of a similar kite I saw in the UK
some 15 years ago. Designed by one of those madcap eccentric inventors the
English seem to always have around.  In shape, rather like an oversized
flattened American football, but with right-angled sides.  Hard to describe
but the same idea as those rigid radar reflectors you often see in the
rigging of sailboats.
The kite was tied at its axis, ie the pointy bits of the football so it spun
on its axis in the wind.  It was  easy to launch, spinning as it climbed
into the sky.
For those of you who know London,  I saw this kite demonstrated in Hyde
Park, and it triggered an alert on the radars at Heathrow Airport.  I guess
it was flying a fair way above ground level.  Not bad for a kite about a
foot long, made of metallised nylon.
I had no use for an aerial radar reflector in the middle of London so didn't
buy one.. kick myself now.  It folded down to nothing,  flew from a very
light line as it had no torque to speak of, and would have been an ideal
safety device for long distance sea-kayaking.  Never saw the kite again, so
presumed it did not make it  into commercial production.  But if you're a
handy-person, might make a decent sort of project..
Peter Rattenbury, Wollongong, Australia.

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