In 2002, the Drachen Foundation awarded me a grant to perform some basic explorations in the use of kites to generate useful electrical power. This grant was originally predicated on furthering explorations of the LadderMill invention of Professor (and one time astronaut) Wubbo Ockels.

Werner Schmidt’s apotheosis came in l984 when he viewed a strange kite in a technology museum in Munich. It was a Grund Boxkite. “I still remember the moment I first saw it,” he says. “That’s how impressed I was.”

In a part of the world, Asia, where tradition still rules, Taiwanese kitemaker Buteo Huang is a brilliant exception. Having crafted the whole array of traditional Chinese kites as a kind of warmup, Buteo is now turning out avant-garde creations—-many obvious masterpieces- —that are winning him fame in the global kite world.

Connoisseurs agree Anke Sauer’s “Jack-in-the-box” foldup kite is one of the most exciting new kites of the last few years, but as to its generic category there is no consensus as yet.

Abstract: The use of large kites in ship propulsion has been getting a growing attention because of the urgent need to reduce the CO2 production and thus stop the use of fossil fuels. A novel application of ship propulsion by kites is proposed based on a Laddermill apparatus mounted on a ship. Such an apparatus consist of a winch, an electric motor/generator, a kite system (including launch and retrieval) and controlling electronics.

An important Drachen Foundation grantee, Frey is using KAP to assist his research in identifying whales and documenting their behavior. A marine biologist and professional photograph by professions, Frey has been studying whales for 20 years in the San Ignacio Bay of Baja, Mexico, and elsewhere. Frey uses a state-of-the-art camera rig consisting of a Nikon D70 with wide angle and fisheye lenses so as to cover as many mammals in as much area of the water as possible.

An industrial electronics engineer from Schlangen, Germany, Harald Prinzler took up KAP in the early 1990s and soon became a convert to Flow Forms as aerial platforms. He invented a variation of the Flow Form and has shared it worldwide via his Web site. Prinzler does not use direction control for his camera rig, preferring to use his imagination in pointing the camera. He says he likes it that way—-more exciting

Holder of a master’s degree in art, Murooka, of Tokyo, took up KAP as a release from his job teaching architectural drafting. It also led him to travel widely, spreading the word about the hobby. Needing the most stable platform in the sky for his photography, experimentation has shown him the Parafoil best suits his needs. It flies at a high angle and easily lifts a 4 ½ pound camera rig in a decent wind. The kite doesn’t break and packs down for transportation.

After almost 20 years of KAP and more than 6,000 images taken during that period, Andrea Casalboni, of Ravenna, Italy, remains partially unreconstructed. He uses digital for big format prints, but rejects the help of radio-controlled video in choosing when to shoot because he likes to imagine the shot he is making. “I have more feel for the subject that way,” he says. “My experience allows me to put the camera on the right point, while not disturbing the subject.

The Aerial Eye, an international journal for kite aerial photographers, published by the American Kitefliers Association l994-99. Useful science and art. All 18 issues, including invaluable index, are available on compact disk for $30 postpaid anywhere in the world. Contact Brooks Leffler at Post Office Box 34, Pacific Grove, CA 93050. “Under the editorship of Leffler, this magazine was so good,” comments expert Peter Bults, “it appears to have drained the worldwide KAP user community of ideas in its day and run out of material.”