looks awkward.

Good guys on a normal windsurfer get more air than that and it must feel awesome if you jam your finger between the boom and the mast just below the pivot when holding the bottom boom.

Probably be a bitch to waterstart

Choco where the hell do you dig this stuff up?

Looks awkward to me and water-starting?

Like the deep fried Mars Bar the wing sail combined two really good things, windsurfing and hang gliding and came up with an invention that occupies its own curious and diminishing niche.

I wonder at what point the inventor realised the he was not going to be the next Hoyle Schweitzer/Jim Drake and moved on to other things, and has the patent expired?

If so, someone else should get in there and revive the idea, add some micro jets or hydrofoils or something, ......

I feel a bit sorry for the guy. All that hard work for nothing! Where s the "wind weapon" now?

It seems to work much like a windsurf sail. You tilt it sideways til it's semi-vertical to get power and lay it horizontal to get lift when airborne - but it's more complicated; windsurfing wins because of the beautiful simplicity of the design. Still, no need to flip the rig when gybing - that's a plus!

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Al Planet said...



I wonder at what point the inventor realised the he was not going to be the next Hoyle Schweitzer/Jim Drake and moved on to other things, and has the patent expired?

If so, someone else should get in there and revive the idea, add some micro jets or hydrofoils or something, ......

US Patent 4682557 granted 28 July 1987. Would have expired 17 years from the date of grant, so 28 July 2004.
Sailing wing
Abstract
A sailboard with a wing-like sail pivoted to the top of a mast for free roll motion but constrained against pitch. The wing may have a leading edge flap. The wing is made from a sail stretched on a space frame which is demountable for compact storage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inventors: Magruder; Thomas A. (El Cerrito, CA), Crowell; Robert L. (Boone, NC)
Appl. No.: 06/817,846
Filed: December 5, 1985


www.freepatentsonline.com/4682557.pdf

your challenge if you choose to accept: take one of these over the edge of Niagara Falls.

That's an old Wind Weapon!! Created in the Gorge over in the US in the early 90's. So bl__dy windy over there and the current runs against the wind direction so super steep chop to jump.

Be interesting to see what a new one could do with an epoxy board, carbon mast and proper cambered sails. They'd be at least 10-15kgs lighter.

With the kind of wind they have at the Gorge, you could rig up practically any kind of weird contraption and it would fly!



I guess the big question is: if they made it today, would you buy it?

Looks like the first version of a "Kite Wing" that is attached to the board..

www.kitewing.com

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crakas said...

Looks like the first version of a "Kite Wing" that is attached to the board..

www.kitewing.com

Yes I had to laugh when I saw the Kite Wing - they marketed it as 'new, but it is same as the Wind Weapon 20yrs earlier (which also was a dismal flop)

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qldnacra said...

Good guys on a normal windsurfer get more air than that and it must feel awesome if you jam your finger between the boom and the mast just below the pivot when holding the bottom boom.

+ 1

I know someone with one. After nearly killing himself and everyone who tried it it's now on the wall in the toy shed never to be used again

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TurtleHunter said...

I know someone with one. After nearly killing himself and everyone who tried it it's now on the wall in the toy shed never to be used again

Photos? Video? [}:)]

Poor dude, invested so much money in the wind weapon, he had to keep getting bowl cuts off his mum

i would give it a good go, just for a laugh

All it needs is a set of strings instead of a mast...hell, let's make 'em 20 metres long, f### everyone else! Yahooooo!

This is what they are made for! I built one when I saw this clip!

Can imagine it as a Sailrocket style of speed machine. No weight vest or heavy pilot needed because one wing is flying in ground effect and the other can be balanced against an inclined fin.

Time for Mk 3 . Call it "SpeedWing" maybe...