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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html;CHARSET=iso-8859-1"> <META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Sumarizes current status of commercial sail. Investigates free flying kites as primary motive power for ships. Specific pros and cons of crewed, lighter-than-air KiteTugs are investigated. Costs and paybacks are investigated."> <META NAME="KeyWords" CONTENT="sail, hapa, kite, sailboat, commercial sail, airship, transport sail, helium, sail assist, kitetug"> <META NAME="GENERATOR" Content="Symantec Visual Page Mac 1.1.1"> <TITLE>Will it Happen?</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY TEXT="#000000" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#551A8B" ALINK="#0000FF"> <P><FONT SIZE="4"><I><B>On KiteTugs<SUP>© </SUP></B></I></FONT><I>copyright 1996, </I><A HREF="mailto:[email protected]"><I>Dave Culp Speedsailing</I></A></P> <P><A HREF="cost_15k.html">Previous Chapter | </A><A HREF="refer.html">References |</A><A HREF="KiteTugs.html"> Table of Contents</A></P> <H2>Will it Happen?</H2> <P>The largest free flying inflated flying wing built to date is 7,340 sq. ft.<A HREF="refer.html#12"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>20</SUP></FONT></A>. Materials technology, in the form of Spectra and Kevlar reinforced Mylar fabrics and films, Spectra cordage, computerized controls and autopilots and telemetry devices are taken directly "off the shelf."<A HREF="refer.html"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>4,</SUP></FONT></A><A HREF="refer.html#12"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>15</SUP></FONT></A> <IMG SRC="softacre.gif" WIDTH="346" HEIGHT="255" ALIGN="RIGHT" BORDER="0" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="5">The US government stockpiles millions of cubic feet of helium and indeed, is considering disposing of it. Unmanned Aeronautical Vehicle (UAV) technology, fly-by-wire, and computer modeling presumptions are state of the art and require no break-through innovation<A HREF="refer.html#12"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>17,21</SUP></FONT></A>. Costs for these systems are in the $10^3&shy;10^4 range, and are tumbling fast. The KiteTug dispatch service envisioned is a straightforward exercise in computer database generation, weather reporting and communication.</P> <P>This concept is not a "dream awaiting technology," nor a technology awaiting a shift in world market conditions. Included cash-flow projections, with the exception of Option 4, presume 1997 dollars and current world wide fuel costs and vessel usages. While further development work is needed, enabling technology and a number of fully operational kite powered boats<A HREF="refer.html"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>4,8,</SUP></FONT></A><A HREF="refer.html#12"><FONT SIZE="2"><SUP>22,23,24,25</SUP></FONT></A> exist today.</P> <P>An interesting exercise would be to computer model present-day world shipping, overlay it with average wind patterns and flows, and then simulate a virtual KiteTug's capabilities and utility on an artificially accelerated timeline. Such an exercise should be well within the capacity of fast desktop computers, and would go far towards verifying or refuting the assumptions in this study.</P> <P>There are no economic issues preventing the KiteTug's inception. Whether KiteTugs will be accepted by the world's shipping industry, or by investors, is beyond the scope of this study. Current data suggests that such a concept is economically viable today. Future increases in fuel costs, or worldwide shortages in petroleum supplies, may well render it imperitive.</P> <P><A HREF="cost_15k.html">Previous Chapter | </A><A HREF="refer.html">References | </A><A HREF="KiteTugs.html">Table of Contents</A> </BODY> </HTML>