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What's a wind tamer screen?

In article <278ksi$dch@news.delphi.com>, carlsonr@news.delphi.com (CARLSONR@DELPHI.COM) writes:
> WVOSS@novell.com (Wes Voss) writes:
> 
>>Bob Carlson mentioned a wind tamer screen in a previous post. What's that?
> 
> A wind tamer (I've also heard it called a diaper) is a rectangular sheet
> of screening material.  It is attached to the kite between the bridle
> clips and the flight lines.  It is typically 3 to 12 inches in width, and long
> enough to hang between the bridle clips with at least 6 inches of droop
> when the kite is flying.  They can be purchased for about 10 or 12 dollars.
> 
> The affect of adding this screen to the kite can be dramatic in high
> winds.  Although it has very little affect on the kite's handling, it
> creates enough drag to slow the kite down substantially.  Since the kite
> is moving more slowly, it generates much less pull.
> 
> We used 6 inch wind tamers with our Stingers on the Air Art team.  They
> extended the upper end of the kite's wind range by nearly 10 mph.  When
> high winds forced us to use vented kites, we used the wind tamers with
> them too.  Remarkably, the wind tamers never interfered with the plug-in
> (refueling) maneuvers we frequently used.
> 
> These screens are one of the most cost effective kite accessories I know of.
> 
Bob and Wes,
 
I first saw these tamers this summer on the Oregon coast.  They were selling at
the Catch the Wind Kite Stores for less than $10.

Disclaimer: I've got no connection with any kite store or dealer- I hammer on
rocks (no, not a convict, a geologist).

Don Fiesinger
FATAQ@cc.usu.edu
Geology - Utah State University
Logan, UT  84322-4505
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