Paravane (water kite)

The paravane is a towed winged (hydrofoiled) underwater object--water kite--that has found applications in a peace and war. The water kites have been used in sport fishing, commercial fishing, marine industry, scientific exploration, water play, and military. Aerodynamically shaped wings of paravanes are sometimes in a fixed position, else controllably positioned remotely or on-board smartly or by actions of an on-board human pilot. Domina Jalbert told Tal Streeter that water kites are hardly different from air kites and could have many applications. [ [http://www.drachen.org/journals/a10/Domina-Jalbert.pdf Page 42 of Drachen Foundation Journal Fall 2002] The pioneer kite inventor Domina Jalbert spoke emphatically about the water kite.] The paravane's kite line may be as simple as a string, rope, cable, or a complex cable carrying fluids, electricity, electrical signals, optical messages, or vibrations. The kiting deflections occur for downing, staying the paravane at specified depths, and lateral movement for special applications; the controllable kiting deflection is also used to return the paravane to the water's surface. Paravanes frequently have sensors aboard that record data and/or send data back up its tethering kite line or via other communication methods. Paravanes occur in tiny sizes and large manned sizes.

Military applications

One military use is the paravane as a weapon. There are offensive and defensive paravanes. There are main paravanes and auxiliary protector paravanes. Some paravanes are equipped with cable cutters that cut the moored mines. Explosive paravanes are essentially a towable or controllable mine. The US Department of Defense continues to have [http://www.dtic.mil/dodsrch/search?template=%2Fdtic%2Fsearch%2Fresults-template-all.html&cr=customresults_dod.xml&changequery=1&hl=y&c=464DC8DF644962BBAA47D115E86EA68D&c=41F52911D50A5415&c=DD0C976002CAEB35&c=C92F583E2FD6E53B&c=5EF526FDCBB753A6&c=69A6EE7DB95A7791&c=C5C8242C85E9B392&c=12AC457CE2B5F28B&c=7B711C9E935D47D2&c=CAB345CEEFB1340B&c=D27AE6F2C80BEC86&searchview=7FBC4E26E505DA989E1DD0291FE4E9A8B35994E533FE494E&q=paravane&submit=Search+All interest in paravanes.]

Abstract : A paravane includes an elongated fuselage; a wing section of spaced wing members attached to an intermediate portion of the fuselage; stabilizer fins for maintaining the paravane lined-up with the direction of tow; a depth control flap positioned adjacent the wing section and having a pivot axis extending closely adjacent to the towing point; and depth control means of controlling the position of the control flap. The wing members have a straight leading edge portion, a straight trailing edge portion and a curved intermediate portion wherein the wing members are arranged such that the chord lines extend at oblique angles with the longitudinal axis of the fuselage and such that the resultant hydrodynamic lift force vector acting on the wing section passes through the tow point. [http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADD014393 Department of Navy, Washington, D.C.;07 AUG 1984]

Paravane in commercial fishing

There are arrowhead paravanes, flexi-wing paravanes, and bi-wing paravanes; these water kites are used in tuna fishing operations. [ [http://www.fishing.sh/htmfiles/seabirds/danielsolander.html DESCRIPTION OF UNDERWATER SETTING DEVICE] ] Trolling-for-fish devices that are paravanes or water kites do not always use the descriptor;George Dahl in 1957 taught how to kite his device underwater in order to place bait at the desired depth; and he wanted to have a boat have several of the devices being towed at the same time without the devices and bait interfering with each other--so his device was able to be set for different deflections, that is, the various water kites would be set to fly in the water at specified positions. [http://www.google.com/patents?id=sYBHAAAAEBAJ&dq=2914884 Trolling device.]

Paravane in marine industry

Water kites help depress cables being placed as well as other payloads (instruments, water-sampling collection, sea-life collection). [ [http://www.google.com/patents?id=zh1zAAAAEBAJ&dq=3434446 REMOTELY CONTROLLABLE PRESSURE RESPONSIVE APPARATUS Jimmy R. Cole] ] The Deep Dive Wing-1 (DDW-1) bridles at different points of the wing for payloads that are larger in cross-section because of the increase parsitic drag of the payload; the DDW uses less cable than a non-kited payload to reach lower depths. DDW-1 is without a magnetic signature. [http://www.oceanscan.com/underwater/wing.html Deep Dive Wing-1] [A high-speed http://www.ise.bc.ca/auv.html Aurora Tow Fish] (intellectual rights are wholly owned by International Submarine Engineering Limited) kites instruments underwater.

Paravane in sport fishing

In 1905 Martin Flegle of at Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, invented a lighter-than-water water kite that could be operated from boats or from the shoreline for the purpose of trolling for fish; the paravane or water kite would float on the surface of the water, but the vaning was in the water; the device would move oblique to the towing effort; his device's operation had a way to fully change directions. [ [http://www.google.com/patents?id=kXpXAAAAEBAJ&dq=780029 Trolling device. 1905.] ]

Paravanes carry bait to specific depths. Some fishing lures are themselves paravanes. [http://www.fishingtackle.co.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145830241 Paravanes. Deep Diver.]

Paravane in sports and play

Towed human-on-board paravanes are used to transport explorers, SCUBA sportsmen, spear-fishing people.

Speedsailing has been driving the use of water kites (paravanes). A group has developed an air kite that dynamically was coupled with a water kite that they also developed: FRENCHL'aile d'eau [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tEw_mlUh7g L'aile d'eau] (mastless boat is a water kite or paravane)] The group succeeded in having a double-kite system with one kite an air kite and the other kite a paravane water kite. The air kite dragged the submarine water kite; this examples dynamic soaring or dynamic sailing using two media: air and water. By Luc Armant, a very complete document (in French) is at --Large file of 36 mb: http://www.augredelair.fr/joomla/recits/luc_armant/ailedeau.pdf

There is a race to break speedsailing 50-knot barrier. A major project is exploring a paravane to result in a non-heeling moment wing mast. 'Swedish Speed Sailing Challenge' holds people effecting such paravane use. [http://www.trampofoil.com/speedsailing/ Swedish Speed Challenge Paravane Sailing] . Similar technology is found in Yellow Pages Endeavour; such speed record efforts are related to the [http://www.windjet.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=77&Itemid=85 Windjet Project] . The [http://www.windjet.co.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=56 Jellyfish Foiler] is a water kite hydrofoil tugged by an air kite reaching for breaking speed sailing records. A [http://www.jellyfish-foiler.com/eindex.htm State of the Art Hydroptere Powered by Kite] . The kite on the Jellyfish Foiler gives tension through a rigidized tether pulling on the water-kite hydrofoil hydrodynamic center in order to avoid roll. [http://www.jellyfish-foiler.com/etechniques.htm Jellyfish Foiler technology.] The Jellyfish Foiler lower hydrofoil has two J-shaped foils and one center T-foil rudder and is pulled by the upper air kite; the system is a closely-coupled double-kite system (lower is water kite, upper is an air kite) resulting in a system that will fly through the air and water in an effort to break the 50-knot speed sailing record.

Extreme surfers are being towed as they ride a hydrofoil; as they are being towed, they are piloting a water kite; the new sport is call hydrofoiling. Alexander Graham Bell taught the hydrofoil, but kiting the hydrofoil for sport is a new endeavor. Distinguish a powered-boat that itself rises on hydrofoils from the different towing of an unpowered piloted hydrofoiler where the tethered towed hydrofoiler is mechanically a paravane or water kite.

Various paravanes holding recreational underwater explorers are being towed.

Paravane in science

Paravanes are used for sampling water chemistry; controlled kiting to specific depths allow scientists to map water qualities in the oceans and lakes of the world. [http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA156322 A Towed Instrument Vehicle for Deep Ocean Sampling]

An array of pontoon paravanes' wings are set so each water kite positions itself so it does not interfere with the others. One use has been the holding of seismic instruments.

Paravane patents

* * [http://www.google.com/patents?id=vRxnAAAAEBAJ&dq=1358358 Apparatus for offense and defense against submerged or partially submerged obstructions. US Pat. 1358358 - Filed Sep 18, 1917]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=VM1tAAAAEBAJ&dq=2556423 US Pat. 2556423 WATER KITE Herbert L. Gross. Filed Apr 26, 1949.]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=PsVkAAAAEBAJ&dq=2556423 Water Kite. Filing date: Apr 27, 1951]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=G5QeAAAAEBAJ&dq=4920689 Water kite and method of using the same Kenneth D. Anderson]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=zgIfAAAAEBAJ&dq=2556423 Tripanel hydrodynamic depressor for fishing. Filing date: Mar 12, 1993.]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=sYBHAAAAEBAJ&dq=2556423 TROLLING DEVICE George H. M. Dahl. Filing date: Oct 3, 1957.]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=n0MyAAAAEBAJ&dq=4719987 Bi-plane Bi-planar pontoon paravane seismic source system Robert K. George, Jr. et al. Filing date: Mar 23, 1987.]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=l7g6AAAAEBAJ&dq=3703876 US Pat. 3703876 Underwater Towed Apparatus. Inventor Finn C. Michelsen. Filed in 1970.]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=54dcAAAAEBAJ&dq=2566029 UNDERWATER FISHING KITE Clissolde L. Louthan]
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=G7RsAAAAEBAJ&dq=2462568 Water Kite]
* 1881 US Patent 242278 described use of a water kite. [http://www.google.com/patents?id=1OZFAAAAEBAJ Bathometer]

See also

*Kite
*Kite mooring
*Kite types
*Kite applications
*Sailing hydrofoil
*Foilboard
*Surface water sports
* [http://hydrofoiling.com/ Hydrofoiling (water kiting)]
*Autonomous underwater vehicle
*Underwater gliders
*Kite books

Descriptors

Kite, water kite, paravane, paravanes, underwater kite, cable depressor, towed vehicle, underwater towed vehicle, trawler, trolling, underwater towed device, towed water glider, underwater vehicles, underwater wings, towing, towed bodies, oceanographic equipment, underwater wings, sea wings, hydrofoil, depth control, fins, hydrodynamics, wings, gliders, underwater search vehicles, flaps, fuselages, stabilization systms, tow fish, DDW-1, Aurora Tow Fish,

External links

* [http://airchair.com Air Chair]
* [http://skyski.com Sky Ski]
* [http://www.foilboarding.com/ Carafino Foilboards]
* [http://www.hydrofoilkiteboard.com/ hydrofoil kiteboarding]
* [http://www.neilprydemaui.com/category.php?id=8 Neil Pryde Maui]
* [http://www.foils.org/miller.htm Miller hydrofoil] , a sailing hydrofoil board
* Underwater Electric Kite (UEK)

References