Back to Rotor Kite Information UFO Rotor kites are very, very different to any other sort of flying kite. Indeed it was only in the last decade that the actual reasons and forces involved were known and understood.
Rotor kites are very, very different to any other sort of flying kite.
Basically instead of using a fixed wing, a rotating one generates a horizontal vortex which slows the wind underneath and speeds it up on top, thus generating a slight lift. The rotor kite just generates these same vortices more directly. The lift generated is not very strong, indeed, for each unit of lift, the same amount of drag will be produced, no matter how fast the air is moving. But that any lift is produced is what makes this a fascinating and impressive kite. It is also why when you throw a thin wooden ruler up into the air, or watch a thin strip of paper fall, they tend to follow curving paths all over the place, landing somewhere completely unexpected.