keep the kite tethered

This Sankranti, I thought I couldn't comprehend how to fly a kite - ever!


Well, as luck would have it, that was a short moment. Simple. I asked my neighbor and he told me how to string a kite. Science from none other than NASA, tell us this:



Lift (L) = Cl * A * r * .5 * V^2

The lift L is equal to a lift coefficient Cl times the projected surface area A times the air density r times one half the square of the wind velocity V.


Similarly, the drag D is equal to a drag coefficient Cd times the projected surface area A times the air density r times one half the square of the wind velocity V. 

Drag (D) = Cd * A * r * .5 * V^2
 

skratch-pad.com tells us this: The lifting force of all kites is produced by deflecting the air downward, the resulting change in momentum producing an upward force. The reason for this is that the air traveling over the top of the curved surface of the kite is going faster than the air passing underneath. Fast-moving air creates less pressure; this means there is more pressure underneath the kite, and this helps to force it upwards.
Think of the kite as a sail boat, catching the air. The air tries to push the kite along like the sail boat. But the string the flyer holds keeps the kite tethered. Since the kite cannot go with the wind flow and the kite is tilted so that the air is deflected downward, the kite has no where to go but up.
Both the lift-to-drag ratio and the stability of the kite are functions of the length of cable. The more cable released, the more drag created.


Ok...you got it.  I think the Coefficient CI is your tact and nothing else. By the way, the bamboo sticks side of the kite always faces the heavens and that I figured it out myself. Keeping the kite tethered was borrowed knowledge. Real handy that!  





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