The ram-air inflatable single-line kite is one of the few modern inventions in the world of

kite A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...

design. Although

Francis Rogallo Francis Melvin Rogallo (January 27, 1912 – September 1, 2009) was an American aeronautical engineer inventor born in Sanger, California, U.S. Together with his wife, he is credited with the invention of the Rogallo wing, or "flexible w ...

's early kite patents had ram-air members in the claims, Domina Jalbert's parafoil ram-air wing, patented in 1944, emphatically changed the kite airscape for inflatable kites.

Kytoon A kytoon or kite balloon is a tethered aircraft which obtains some of its lift dynamically as a heavier-than-air kite and the rest aerostatically as a lighter-than-air balloon. The word is a portmanteau of kite and balloon. The primary advantage ...

s and balloon kites are inflatable kites. Kites sometimes combine ram-air inflation as well as closed-bladder inflation. The shape is loosely derived from an airfoil with air inlets usually at the front, and a bridle which distributes the tether line loads evenly across the whole base of the kite. These kites have no rigid spars. The immense strength of synthetic fabrics allows the creation of non-rigid

three-dimensional Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informa ...

shapes which hold their shape because the

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

of the air inside the kite is slightly higher than the pressure outside. As with hot air balloons, artistic creativity is often applied, so that fish, cats, and many other animals and characters are depicted. Sizes range from 2 m in length to 65 m. The world's largest kites are inflatable single-line kites designed and made by New Zealand kitemaker

Peter Lynn Peter Lynn (born 1946) is a New Zealand kitemaker, engineer and inventor. He is notable for his construction of the world's largest kites (Guinness book of records holders), giant inflatable (sparless) display kites (the most widely known is the ...

Types of inflatable single-line kites

* Ram-air-only soft fully flexible kite * Ram-air-only inflation with spars also * Gas inflatable kytoons. These are variously inflated with air, helium, hydrogen. When the kite wing is heavier-than-air, then the kytoon needs relative wind to fly. When the kite wing is lighter-than-air then the kytoon will stay aloft when the relative wind is below what is needed for kiting. * Kites that combine both ram-air inflation and gas-bladders that are inflated.

Types of inflatable single-line kites

See also