what is the aspect ratio of a kite?
How can you tell if one kite has a higher aspect ratio than another? What does the aspect ratio of a kite have to do with it’s performance? The aspect ratio of a wing is the ratio of the wing span and the wing chord. For an unswept, constant chord wing you can just measure the span and divide it by the chord. aspect_ratio = span/chord Most wings are swept and have non-constant chord, so measuring the chord is difficult. Instead use: aspect_ratio = span*span/area Note that the span and the area are the *projected* span and area. The best way to measure this is by measuring this while the kite is in flight. Okay, what does the aspect ratio tell you? In general, with all else remaining constant, the higher the aspect ratio of a wing, the higher it’s lift/drag ratio. Let’s say that the wing (“===” in the ascii drawing below) is traveling through the air from left to right. The upward force is the “lift” being generated by the wing. There is also a force to the left that is the drag of the
