Helium in a Kite for Light wind days?

[plummet]

pair play edt. I didn't measure my bladder just pulled numbers out of my head. If anyones prepared to give more accurate length/sizing estimates then we can recalculate.

Helium is not dangerous. But is damn expensive.

Helium will permeate through the wall of the bladder and out through the valves. But If we consider how long it takes a helium balloon to go down I suspect that the helium will last a standard 2-3 hour kite session.

[eree]

well, may be in case of big racing kites helium filling can be an advantage.
after all kite brands make competition kites lighter and lighter every year losing unnecessary weight. such as one-pump system, scuff guards, replacing bridles lines with thinner ones, even using less paint on the canopy.
so if bigger race kite weighs 4kg (4000g) -300g of helium weight saving is 7.5 percent of the kites weight!

[jb8431]

Good try!! But remember helium does not lighten the kite. Helium affects the buoyauncy of the kite in ambiant air. Best at sea level and then degrading as you increase in altitude. So the kite will float in air and will resist being able to dive the kite in order to create apparent wind. Plus helium is very expensive and ideally you want greater than 80% helium.

Nice try:) get a sailboat and get planing in 6 knots in a racing dinghy. Way more fun and broaden your sailing skills as well.

[Tiago1973]

i could be talking stupid but, as far as i understand it, the lift vector can be decomposed in vertical component to support the kite weight + a horizontal force used to speed up the rider

as such a higher buoyauncy kite could be of some advantage as it won´t requeired so much lift to be used to support the kite weight and more will be available to speed up the rider

[plummet]

I think you guys are missing the point. All the helium does is make your kite slightly lighter. bugger all lighter. It will maker it slightly more efficient, powerfull and turn faster. but only by a very small portion.

It wont stop the kite from diving or flying across the window and the kite does not have "buoyancy" to make it float unassisted.

its simply a little be lighter. in normal practical terms its a pointless exercise.

if you are racing it out for gold at the Olympics In years to come and every one uses the same kite and board and your race success or failure is measured in milliseconds then using helium to reduce kite weight make the tiny difference that enambles you to win all other factors being equal.

[ronnie]

From 2004.

http://www.kite-surf.com/galleries/inde ... anu_bertin

[BigR]

circa 1998......

........once rented a tank of helium, believing the gas might allow him to float the kite when winds alone were too light to keep it aloft. It didn't work. "There wasn't enough volume there to have that gas take over the weight of the kite. We always thought he was going to crash out there and blow everybody up with this helium bomb,"

[Tiago1973]

I think you guys are missing the point. All the helium does is make your kite slightly lighter. bugger all lighter. It will maker it slightly more efficient, powerfull and turn faster. but only by a very small portion.

It wont stop the kite from diving or flying across the window and the kite does not have "buoyancy" to make it float unassisted.

its simply a little be lighter. in normal practical terms its a pointless exercise.

if you are racing it out for gold at the Olympics In years to come and every one uses the same kite and board and your race success or failure is measured in milliseconds then using helium to reduce kite weight make the tiny difference that enambles you to win all other factors being equal.

no, not missing the point. totally agree with you for day to day it´s pointless

but still wonder how much of an advantage would be for the race guys - just a few miliseconds or something more valid....?

[BigR]

From somebody that has actually done it...... it is a noticeable advantage..... but not that much.....
And once your kite gets wet..... none at all

[Tiago1973]

it is a noticeable advantage..... but not that much.....

now I am confused! one or the other...


would you care to elaborate a bit more?