Scott Skinner
From Discourse 10

One of the first archival discussions at the Drachen Foundation came from original board member Martin Lester. It was about a rather small and nondescript canvas tube with several surprises inside: a survival kite that was meant to be launched with a flare gun, automatically opening and becoming a rigid, winged-box kite. Additionally, closer inspection of the canvas tube revealed a sophisticated line-management system that encapsulated the flying line in the walls of the tube. The idea was for a downed airman or seaman to hold the flare gun overhead, fire, have the folded kite be carried airborne while the flying line played out to its maximum length, then the kite would unfold, find the wind, and fly, allowing a radio antenna to be lifted and used for communication. Needless to say, serious study of this kite could only be done by meticulous inspection and manipulation of the case and close inspection of the kite and its spring-loaded system.

Enter Jan Westerink of the Netherlands. Jan was the lucky buyer of not one, not two, but three (!!!) rocket kites and their complete kits. I should note that the package containing all the kites arrived at Jan’s door having cleared customs and having been transported by at least two national postal services. Inside were at least three potentially live flares! With three examples, Jan was able to seriously study each of the kites and form a plan to recreate a real-time launch and flight. As an aside to American kite fliers, burdened with litigious lawyers and an abundance of less-than-bright thrill seekers, this demonstration could never have been accomplished on American soil.

In the serene country setting of Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands, about 25 historical kite enthusiasts walked to a large open field to watch what Jan had spent weeks preparing. Armed with one of the rocket kites in its line-carrying case, Jan produced a contemporary survival-issue flare gun and followed the rocket kite instructions to prepare the system for launch. With the enthusiasts stationed at a safe distance (we hoped), Jan was ready for the launch.

POW! As the flare gun fired, line beautifully played out of the kite case as it rose into the air. Alas, not enough altitude was attained and the un-deployed kite fell to the ground. A less-than-spectacular ending to a grand experiment. The reenactment gave us all a moment to think about the development of a product like the rocket kite: made for a one-time use, with little chance of failure, on which a person’s life might well depend. On this occasion, we were all left stranded with a rocket kite that didn’t deploy.

Watch a video of the launch on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxxbMfYY9Bw

Scott Skinner. Instructions to launch the rocket kite, a vintage system that once allowed a downed airman or seaman to lift a radio antenna for communication using a flare gun and a kite.

Scott Skinner. Line from the rocket kite’s sophisticated system. At the author’s reenactment, line beautifully played out of the kite case as it rose into the air.

Scott Skinner. The rigid kite in flight after reenactment. Alas, during the reenactment, not enough altitude was attained and the un-deployed kite fell to the ground.

Watch a video of the launch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxxbMfYY9Bw