Flying a Box Kite

area of kite side (

2

m

)

0.5

velocity of the wind (m/s)

6

mass of the kite (kg)

0.3

string length (m)

50

This Demonstration illustrates the flight angle of a cubic box kite and the tension force in the string. The tension and the angle are affected by the lift, the drag, the surface area of one side of the kite (

2

m

), the velocity of the wind (m/s), the mass of the kite (kg), and the string length (m). The coefficient of drag is related to aspect ratio (side A/side B) of the kite, which in this case is kept constant at 1. For simplicity, the coefficient of lift is assumed to be constant; normally its value would need to be found experimentally.