Kite Aerial Photography Equipment James S. and Susan W. Aber

Table of Contents

Kites	Kite line & gloves
KAP trailer	KAP rigs and cameras
Cargo dolly	Helium blimp
Drones vs. kites	References

Soft Kites

The Sutton Flowform was invented by Steve Sutton as a byproduct of his experiments to create a better parachute during the 1970s (Sutton 1999). He tested various parachute designs as kites, which proved quite successful. The flowform is a soft airfoil that employs venting to reduce drag and control air pressure within the kite body. Sutton was granted a U.S. patent for the flowform design in 1974. Flowform kites are known as smooth and stable flyers under moderate to strong wind; they are ideally suited for KAP.

The Sutton Flowform 16 is a wind-inflated airfoil that flies well in moderate to strong winds (15-25 mph). This side view shows the kite with two 15-foot streamer tails, which greatly improve kite stability. The kite has about 16 square feet (1½ m²) of surface area and weighs about 11 ounces (310 g). Because it has no rigid parts, the kite can be packed into a small stuff-sack about 10 inches (25 cm) long. This kite is the authors' favorite for moderate to strong wind.

The Sutton Flowform 30 is next larger size in the Sutton series. It has 30 ft² (2.8 m²) of lifting surface area and weighs about 23 ounces (650 g). The kite is flying here with two 15-foot streamer tails. This kite develops substantial lift in a moderate wind; for KAP it is utilized for relatively light wind (10-15 mph).

Many other types of soft airfoils are utilized for power lifting of meteorological instruments, advertising banners, cameras, radio antennas, and anything else people want to put into the air at modest cost. Various types of parafoils, vented or unvented, range in size up to more than 100 square feet (>9 m²). The authors' largest airfoil is illustrated below. This huge kite requires 500-pound (220 kg) line, and should be attempted only by experienced kiteflyers under light wind conditions. The kite is flown from a fixed base and can lift several kilograms of equipment easily in a gentle breeze (8-12 mph). It should not be flown in stronger wind.

The SkyFoil measures 10 feet wide by 8½ feet long giving it 85 square feet (7.9 m²) surface area. It is shown here flying without tails; rising moon is visible to left. This kite displays the school colors—black and gold—of the authors' home base, Emporia State University. Kite purchased from Gomberg Kite Productions.

Rigid Kites

As the name implies, rigid kites employ some type of hard framework to give the kite form and shape. Traditional supports of wood and bamboo are replaced in most modern kites by graphite rods and fiberglass poles, although wood and bamboo continue to serve a role in kite construction. Their weight-to-surface ratio is intrinsically greater than soft kites, but rigid kites do have some advantages for KAP. The primary advantage is the ability to fly well in light (4-7 mph) and gentle (8-12 mph) breezes without the danger of deflating and crashing. The frame maintains the kite's proper aerodynamic shape regardless of wind pressure. Although frame members may be disassembled, rigid kites can be troublesome for packing and traveling. The authors use a travel-size golf case for long kites.

	This Grand Delta has a wing span of nearly 11 feet, a surface area of approximately 30 ft², and weighs about 19 ounces (540 g). Rigid rods support the wings and maintain proper aerodynamic shape of the kite. The kite is flying here with three tails—15-foot streamer in center and 6-foot streamers on wing tips. The large delta is a stable flyer under gentle to moderate wind (10-20 mph). This kite folds into a 36-inch case.
	The delta-conyne is a combination delta and triangular box kite. D-C kites are stable fliers in light wind. This Sun Oak Seminole 13-foot D-C is flying with two 15-foot streamer tails. At 48 ounces (1.4 kg), it is sturdy and reliable, but heavy, which reduces its KAP lifting capacity. It folds into a 48-inch case. The large D-C is utilized for light to moderate wind, and will lift a KAP rig with only 8-10 mph wind aloft. See Sun Oak Kites.
	Giant delta has a wingspan of 19 feet and a total surface area of 88 square feet (8.2 m²). It flies beautifully on 300-pound line in gentle breeze and has excellent lifting power. Seen here with a 20-foot tube tail, it folds into a 4-foot case and weighs only 5 pounds (2¼ kg).
	Daruma rokkaku. This kite, based on a traditional Japanese design, is a good flyer in a light breeze, 5-10 mph (8-15 km/h). It launches on a barely perceptible ground wind and is stable when aloft. Because of its low weight of 19 ounces (540 g), it is the kite of choice for light wind KAP. This kite measures about 6 feet long by 5 feet wide, and is shown here with a 15-foot streamer tail. It folds to 60 inches.
	Giant rokkaku. At 7½ by 6 feet, this big rokkaku has about 36 ft² (3.3 m²) of lifting surface. It develops great pull in light wind and should not be used in wind more than 10 mph (15 km/h). This kite weighs only 27 ounces (760 g) and folds to a compact 42 inches (107 cm) length. It has become the authors' favorite kite for lifting KAP rigs in light wind (less than 10 mph), and it often succeeds when no other kite will fly.

Kite train. In light wind, multiple kites can greatly increase lifting power and stability for a KAP rig. In this example, two giant rokkakus are lifting a camera rig in a light breeze. The right kite is attached to the main line. The left kite flies on a secondary line, 500 feet (150 m) long, that is connected to the main line via a ring and lark's head knot. The KAP rig is suspended from the main line, well below the attachment point for the secondary kite.

Kite Line and Gloves

Kite line is 200- or 300-pound braided dacron for most applications. A simple plastic spool is used to store up to 500 feet (150 m) of line. I wear a safety strap through the spool and around my waist while handling the spool and line. This allows for walking around with the kite to locate the KAP rig over a desired ground location. We also utilize a large Strato-spool reel that holds 1000 feet (300 m) of line. This reel has a brake for letting line out slowly and a long-lever crank for reeling in the line. It is best used when anchored to a fixed point of operation. This arrangement leaves the hands free. As much as possible, the line and reel should not be held only with the hands—a strong gust of wind could quickly overcome tired hand/arm muscles, especially with the larger kites.

	The 9-inch plastic spool holds about 500 feet of braided dacron line, which has a test strength of 250 pounds. The kite handle has proven indispensible for securing the line. The handle is a wooden rod with an anchor chain at one end and a tie-down cleat at the other. The handle should always be secured to a firm anchor point.
	Kite handle and anchor strap attached to hatch lock of rental car in Norway. The open hatch door provides a small wind break for assembling KAP equipment. This protection is useful in cold weather conditions—note snow on hills in background.

Large Strato-spool reel for kite line (left). The reel is shown with its "lock" (blue strap) holding the kite line in fixed position. The reel is secured by the brown strap to a ground anchor. Large Strato-spool reel disassembled to show parts (right).

Leather gloves are especially important, as fast running kite line can quickly burn or cut exposed skin. The authors have used various types of gloves, including special "kite gloves" in which the finger tips are exposed. While such gloves are quite handy, they often do not have sufficient padding on the palms to protect against cutting by heavy kite line under tension. We have ruined many pairs of gloves flying large kites. Thus, we have come to rely on roper gloves, which are designed for roping cattle. Such gloves are available from farm-and-ranch supply stores.

Horsehide roper gloves for KAP. Note the tight-fitting fingers and extra patch of leather across the palm of the hand.

J.S. Aber demonstrates the mobile harness for KAP. The hip harness is adapted from a climbing safety belt, and a small radio is strapped to the left arm.

KAP knots and hitches.

	Wells Cargo small trailer for kite aerial photography. Left: view from above at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas. Right: cap open for quick access to equipment. The rear door also opens for loading cargo boxes and other heavy items easily.
	Close-up detail of eye-bolt added to back corner of trailer to provide an anchor for the kite line/reel.

During the winter in early 2016, the author (JSA) designed and constructed a dolly based on these wheels and axle kit. The dolly frame is made of 1½-by-¾-inch oak, which is quite strong. The wood was sanded and treated with Danish oil for a waterproof finish. Hardware is mostly brass, aluminium, or stainless steel to prevent rusting. The frame measures 18 inches wide by 36 inches long (excluding the handle). When moving the dolly, the front legs fold up and are held by a magnet.

Field testing the dolly in rough prairie and wet meadow terrain. The dolly is designed to be pulled over loose sand, mud, and other soft soils or rough surfaces.

	Front and rear views of the completed dolly with cargo box held on by rubber straps. Note the back stops (right) to prevent the box from slipping off the back end.
	Cargo dolly frame (left) and close-up view of the front end (right). The front legs fold back against the frame and are held in place by a magnet. The round handle was added after field testing for better grip.

Helium blimp

Some days the wind just does not blow—even in the Great Plains. For such conditions, the authors have a 13-foot helium blimp acquired from Southern Balloon Works. The aerodynamic blimp shape has proven most efficient and economical in calm to light wind (<10 mph or 15 km/h). The blimp is constructed of a single layer of urethane, a plastic material that retains helium well and is durable under field condtions. It holds approximately 240-250 cubic feet (~7 m³) of helium, which provides a payload lift of about 3 kg (7 lbs). Four rigid tail fins stablize the blimp while in flight, and multiple attachment points along the bottom allow for fastening the tether line and camera rig. Camera rigs are the same as used for kite aerial photography, and the blimp easily lifts camera systems weighing up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs).

SWA inflates the blimp from a helium tank in the back of the small pickup truck (left). Near-vertical self-portrait of the authors with blimp shadow (right). The blue tarp to left is laid out for inflating and deflating the blimp.

The good stability of a blimp allows for operation in tight quarters, for example in urban settings with many people, vehicles, and structures nearby, where flying a kite would be risky. The operating wind range for the blimp overlaps that of kites, so a combination of the blimp and kites spans wind conditions from calm to 25 mph (Aber 2004).

Note: as of 2012, a global helium shortage has driven up
cost and sharply limited availability of helium for our blimp.

Drones vs. kites

Small, consumer-grade drones have increased in popularity dramatically in recent years. The same places that people often fly kites are likely to attract drone pilots as well. This raises the possibility of drone-kite collisions. Jim Powers and Jon Iannacone have tested some possible scenarios involving drones hitting kite lines and kites (Powers 2016). They evaluated several types of kite lines and drone collision situations and found the following results.

• Drone prop blades inflict little or no damage to kite lines even at maximum rotation speed.
  
• Drone prop blades inflict significant damage to kites, cutting the nylon fabric.
  
• Drone prop blades may wrap up around kite line or become tangled in kite fabric or frame.
  
• Drone may bounce off the kite line, momentarily reduce power and fall, then stablize and fly again.

In flight dji Phantom drone similar to the type tested by Powers and Iannacone for kite collisions. High-speed prop rotation is the primary risk for cutting kite fabric or wrapping up the kite line. Similar damage could be expected for drone-blimp collisions.

	The authors' late kitten, Oreo, is seen here at 6 months age (2/99). He is content to sit and watch the kites "dance" in the air above.
	Kumiko, kitten of the authors' son, is helping to pack the camera equipment case. Seen here at age four months (6/03).

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All text and images © by the authors.
Last update July 2016.