From experience it can be seen that near the ground the wind is turbulent and unstable, besides being of lower energies. But once the kite is up, sometimes it stays there for a long time. So if you could have a pully device, so that once the kite is up, you could send it heavier stuff up, possibly another kite, which would assist the first one!

You could always allow the "pulley" rope to be separate from the actual kite rope and flow directly down, or perhaps even further out, using a tiny air catching device at its lower end.

Then you could send out messages in a bottle to someone "down the line".

Instead of the pulley rope, there could simply be an extra string that can somehow be released when the kite is at its max, and then someone else further downwind would catch it, and pass it on and on.
-- pashute, Apr 22 2010

Man-lifting kite http://en.wikipedia...ki/Man-lifting_kite
Japanese thief Ishikawa Goemon (1558–1594) [8th of 7, Apr 22 2010]

A suitable configuration http://www.int.gu.e...s/tetra/variations/
see section "Wide Tetrahedral Structures" [mouseposture, Apr 22 2010]

Google "Cody kites"
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 22 2010


Very Baked, and [Widely-known-to-exist].
-- 8th of 7, Apr 22 2010


//possibly another kite, which would assist the first one// Should be feasible with a modular kite that grows in only one dimension <link> (see section entitled "Wide Tetrahedral Structures"), or a kite stack.

[8th_of_7] is that idea really baked? Using a small kite to get up to altitudes where the wind is stronger, then hoisting additional modules to enlarge the kite in situ? Baked or not, I like it.
-- mouseposture, Apr 22 2010



random, halfbakery