Drachen kite balloon, showing its characteristic shape
A kite balloon is a tethered balloon which is shaped to help make it stable in low and moderate winds and to increase its lift. It typically comprises a streamlined envelope with stabilising features and a harness or yoke connecting it to the main tether and a second harness connected to an observer's basket.
Kite balloons are able to fly in higher winds than ordinary round balloons which tended to bob and spin in windy conditions.[1] They were extensively used for military observation during World War I and similar designs were used for anti-aircraft barriers, as barrage balloons in both world wars.
Design and development
Developed in Germany from 1893 by Parseval and Sigsfeld (de:Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld), the main component of a kite balloon is its tubular-shaped envelope, similar to that of a non-rigid airship, giving it its British and French nicknames of "sausage".[1] This was inclined at a nose up angle to about 30–40° from the horizontal, which resulted in it producing some aerodynamic lift to augment the lift from the hydrogen used and which helped reduce the up and down pitching common with spherical balloons.[1]
As with a blimp, the envelope was also the main lifting gas bag. Later versions of the Drachen used wind pressure to inflate a stabilising ballonets or sock at the rear, which acted as a tail fin and kept it pointed into the wind.[1] A yoke or harness connected the balloon to the tether and was arranged to aid stability.[1][2] Early versions of the Parseval had fixed fins, which were later replaced with the sock mounted on the underside that was inflated by the wind.[1] The Parseval's perceived resemblance to an erect phallus led to the nickname in German service of Die Freude der Mädchen (Maiden's joy).[1] Sizes of early examples varied but two main sizes became common – 600 and 1,200m (2,000 and 3,900ft) and mass production was carried out at the August Riedinger Balloon Plant in Augsburg, Germany.[1] The observer was given a parachute, attached to the outside of the basket and while the winch was pulling the balloon down, he would jump.[1]
Parseval balloons most often operated at an altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000m (3,300 and 6,600ft), could handle winds of up to 65km/h (40mph) and were equipped with an engine-driven winch to lower them quickly in the event of an attack.[1] To further dissuade attacks, they were often ringed with anti-aircraft batteries, making attacks on them extremely hazardous.[1] Despite this, they were the target of frequent attacks.
Caquot kite balloon with basket near the ground
Initially the French and British used copies of the German ParsevalDrachen balloons but the French capitaine Albert Caquot, for whom it was named, developed a much-improved design that replaced the tubular sausage shaped envelope with a more aerodynamic teardrop shape and replaced the sock with three fins, which were also held rigid by the wind blowing past it.[3] Six versions of the Caquot (L, M, M.2, P, P.2 and R) saw widespread use, in four main sizes, 750,800,930 and 1,000m3 (26,000,28,000,33,000 and 35,000cuft). The 750m3 (26,000cuft) type P could carry two observers to 500m (1,600ft), while the 1,000m3 (35,000cuft) type R could carry 3 to 500m (1,600ft) or 2 to 1,000m (3,300ft).[3]
Like the Parseval, the Caquot could be hauled down in an emergency, at speeds up to 6m/s (20ft/s). Until 1916 a Saconney type winch was used, powered with a Delahaye motor of either 32 or 60hp (24 or 45kW) but from 1917, a winch of their own design was used, powered with a 70hp (52kW)de Dion-Bouton motor.[4]
The kite balloon had a parachute in a flat container attached to the observation basket, with the observer wearing a harness around his waist, with lines attached to the parachute. If the balloonist jumped, the parachute was pulled from the container.[5]
For shipboard use by the US Navy, the observer boarded the basket each morning just before daylight and would clip the boarding line to his parachute harness. They tried to make the hoist during a calm period, as the balloon could behave erratically in turbulence, so the observation basket might be dunked before the tether was extended enough to allow the kite balloon to go aloft. Wet or dry, the balloon observer spent the whole day aloft. Its appearance earned it the nickname rubber cow.[6]
The Italian military also developed a kite balloon, called the Avorio-Prassone, which was similar to the Caquot but more spherical, although it was still able to generate some aerodynamic lift and like the Caquot, had three fins for stability.
Army use
The Parseval was in widespread use from the end of the 1800s in large numbers by the German Army to direct gunfire from heavy artillery.[1]
The French continued to operate spherical balloons, until deciding to abandon them in 1912 when reconnaissance aeroplanes became a practical alternative. By 1914, they too realized, with the British, the usefulness of captive balloons, as unlike aircraft, they could remain on station for hours, when most aeroplanes had an endurance limited to about two hours.[3] The French Army at one point had 76 companies operating Caquot balloons.[3]
The first aircraft on aircraft rocket attack was made on 22 May 1916 when a group of eight French aces including Charles Nungesser made a dawn attack while flying Nieuport 16s armed with eight Le Prieur rockets each, that shot down six balloons.[7] This panicked the German high command into lowering all their balloons along the entire front and blinding their Army to a French counter-attack on Fort Douaumont.[7] Certain aces on both sides known for going after the kite balloons became known as "balloon busters".
Naval use
Although their primary use was by the Army to spot the fall of artillery shells and observe enemy movements, the cruisers and battleships of several nations were also equipped to operate Parseval kite balloons to direct gunfire like their army counterparts.[1] Twenty four French Navy vessels were equipped to handle Caquot balloons, with large vessels using the type R to direct gunfire, while smaller escort vessels used the type P and type P.2 against submarines. Although only ten were in service in July 1917, by July 1918 over 200 were in service.[3]
During the Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I, Caquot balloons were used by American destroyers escorting merchant ship convoys. A balloon observer could often see submerged submarines invisible to observers on the ship and could notify the ship of U-boats and their evasive maneuvers during a depth charge attack, by telephone.[6] The availability of an elevated visual observation platform significantly enhanced the ability of destroyers to find and attack U-boats prior to the invention of sonar.
The only United States casualty was suffered during an unsuccessful lowering attempt on a destroyer, during a stormy evening on 14 August 1918, while escorting an eastbound convoy through the Irish Sea. The balloon alternately plunged port and starboard as the tether was shortened, dipping the basket into the water on each dive. The basket was empty before they got it fully lowered.[6]
The US Navy commissioned the specialized kite balloon tender USSWright(AZ-1) in December 1921 and operated it as such until July 1922, when the ship was converted to a seaplane tender with the hull symbol AV-1.
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, in a few cases, direct downward thrust from its engines. Common examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, airships, gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons.
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket, which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant, since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. In modern sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric, and the inlet of the balloon is made from a fire-resistant material such as Nomex. Modern balloons have been made in many shapes, such as rocket ships and the shapes of various commercial products, though the traditional shape is used for most non-commercial and many commercial applications.
Unpowered aircraft can remain airborne for a significant period of time without onboard propulsion. They can be classified as gliders, lighter-than-air balloons and tethered kites. In the case of kites, lift is obtained by tethering to a fixed or moving object, perhaps another kite, to obtain a flow of wind over the lifting surfaces. In the case of balloons, lift is obtained through inherent buoyancy and the balloon may or may not be tethered. Free balloon flight has little directional control. Gliding aircraft include sailplanes, hang gliders, and paragliders that have full directional control in free flight.
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft, and ornithopters. The wings of a fixed-wing aircraft are not necessarily rigid; kites, hang gliders, variable-sweep wing aircraft, and airplanes that use wing morphing are all classified as fixed-wing aircraft.
A power kite or traction kite is a large kite designed to provide significant pull to the user.
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope.
A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision to hostile aircraft, making the attacker's approach difficult and hazardous. Early barrage balloons were often spherical. The kite balloon, having a shape and cable bridling which stabilises the balloon and reduces drag, could be operated at higher wind speeds than could a spherical balloon. Some examples carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up against the aircraft to ensure its destruction. Barrage balloons are not practical against high-altitude aircraft—the long cable required for a high-altitude balloon would be too heavy.
Kite types, kite mooring, and kite applications result in a variety of kite control systems. Contemporary manufacturers, kite athletes, kite pilots, scientists, and engineers are expanding the possibilities.
An aerostat is a lighter-than-air aircraft that gains its lift through the use of a buoyant gas. Aerostats include unpowered balloons and powered airships. A balloon may be free-flying or tethered. The average density of the craft is lower than the density of atmospheric air, because its main component is one or more gasbags, a lightweight skin containing a lifting gas to provide buoyancy, to which other components such as a gondola containing equipment or people are attached. Especially with airships, the gasbags are often protected by an outer envelope.
In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat that can propel itself through the air in a controlled manner.
This is a list of aviation-related events during the 19th century :
August von Parseval was a German airship designer.
An airborne wind turbine is a design concept for a wind turbine with a rotor supported in the air without a tower, thus benefiting from the higher velocity and persistence of wind at high altitudes, while avoiding the expense of tower construction, or the need for slip rings or yaw mechanism. An electrical generator may be on the ground or airborne. Challenges include safely suspending and maintaining turbines hundreds of meters off the ground in high winds and storms, transferring the harvested and/or generated power back to earth, and interference with aviation.
Balloons and kites were the first inventions used in aerial warfare and their primary role was observation. Balloons provided an unreliable and stable means of elevating an observer high over the battlefield to obtain a birds-eye view of troop positions and movements. An early instrument of aerial intelligence collection, they were also useful for creating accurate battlefield maps, an important ingredient for battlefield success. Incendiary balloons also have a long history. The incendiary balloons carry hot air or something that can catch fire to destroy enemy territory. They could also hold small bombs for combat. The history of military ballooning dates back to the late 18th century, when the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, first demonstrated the potential of hot-air balloons for military use. The first recorded military use of balloons was during the French Revolutionary Wars, when the French military used balloons to gather intelligence on the movements of the enemy. Balloons were also used during the American Civil War, where they were used for reconnaissance and communication. Balloons had a decline after several incidents in the interwar period.
An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today. Synonyms include espionage balloon, reconnaissance balloon, spy balloon, and surveillance balloon.
A tethered, moored or captiveballoon is a balloon that is restrained by one or more tethers attached to the ground and so it cannot float freely. The base of the tether is wound around the drum of a winch, which may be fixed or mounted on a vehicle, and is used to raise and lower the balloon.
Different types of flying kites have niche applications. In nature, some animals, such as spiders, also make use of kiting.
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.
Unpowered flight is the ability to stay airborne for a period of time without using any power source. There are several types of unpowered flight. Some have been exploited by nature, others by humankind, and some by both.
Chalais-Meudon is an aeronautical research and development centre in Meudon, to the south-west of Paris. It was originally founded in 1793 in the nearby Château de Meudon and has played an important role in the development of French aviation.
Brook, Dr. Peter; Koehler, R. B. & Woodman, Harry (2001). "Question 11/00: Russian Shipboard Balloons at Vladivostok in 1905". Warship International. XXXVIII (2). International Naval Research Organization: 131–136. ISSN0043-0374.
Ege, Lennart (1973). Balloons and Airships 1783–1973. Blandford Colour series - The Pocket Encyclopaedia of World Aircraft in Colour. Translated by Hildesheim, Erik. London: Blandfor Press. ISBN0-7137-0568-X.
Elliott, Bryn (January–February 1999). "On the Beat: The First 60 Years of Britain's Air Police". Air Enthusiast (79): 68–75. ISSN0143-5450.
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