History

For at least 100 years, man has understood a close connection between kites and aircraft. Many early aircraft such as the Wright brother’s original gliders were first tested as unmanned kites. In recent times we clearly see the roots of kites in modern hang gliders that trace their origins to the simple Rogallo flexi-kites of the early 1960’s. Although the connection between aircraft originating as kites is historically obvious -- what about kites specifically made to function as aircraft or non-tethered kites? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to take the multitudes of different kite shapes that have been designed over the last two hundred years and unlock their aerodynamic potential as powered free-flying controllable aircraft? Suddenly, the thousands of beautiful and sophisticated modern kite shapes would be unleashed into the sky with no need for tethers or even wind! Welcome to the world of Vector Powered Kite flying.

The common definition of a kite is a tethered aircraft in a continuously stalled state. Easy enough. In fact, so clear-cut that by simple deduction we can change a kite into an aircraft by simply taking away the tether and altering a kite’s “stalled state” to that of a basic glider. This can be easily accomplished by changing almost any kite’s center of gravity. For a simple experiment, hook a set of car keys to the tow point of any small delta kite and toss it forward. It will sail across the ground like any normal glider however; take the weight off, toss the kite, and it will stall.

But if the Wright brothers only developed kites that would glide in straight lines, we would still be taking the train. Propulsion and control are essential to aviation. In the Wright brother’s case, they developed wing warping and moving control surfaces to maneuver their kites and a 180 lb, 12 horsepower engine for propulsion. Moving control surfaces have been used since the dawn of flight and accordingly since the birth of model RC aviation. However, modern kite structures are simply not moving control surface “friendly”. First, they need airspeed to work. Since kites by nature are slow moving, to steer them by moving control surfaces requires very large moving surfaces, big hinges and big servos. Further, by nature, kites are much lighter per size than traditional aircraft and are able to sometimes “stop” and “float” on the wind. Moving control surfaces are completely ineffective at controlling an object that simply “stops” in the air. In addition, the beauty of a modern kite is its lightweight simple structure that can easily collapse down to a convenient portable bag. To load them up with hinges, ailerons, rudders, elevators, control horns and other mechanisms would spoil their construction.

Just like the Wright brothers, the solution to flying kites un-tethered and under power lay in propulsion and control. In 2008, a brilliant RC hobbyist in Solingen, Germany made a pioneering breakthrough and developed a revolutionary method to propel and control un-tethered kites. Instead of moving control surfaces, he moved the actual direction of thrust. By developing an elegant combination of a lightweight brushless motor, modern RC servos and a Cardanic gimbal system, he solved all problems of propulsion and control in one bold stroke. With a high thrust electric motor mounted inside a controllable gimbal, the system achieves full three axis control by augmenting thrust up, down, left , right, or in any combination. Pitch, yaw, roll and forward speed are all achieved by the combination of up-down and left-right thrust positioning along with proportional speed control of the brushless motor. Since the thrust on the propulsion unit is totally controlled in the way of both magnitude and direction, the propulsion assembly was christened a Vector Thrust Control Unit*. The Vector Power revolution had just begun.

Premier Kites, a leader in the high-end kite industry for over 27 years, is honored and fortunate to receive this landmark knowledge and research. Through these groundbreaking innovations and Premier’s excellence in manufacturing, the world of Vector Kiting is a reality for flight enthusiasts all over the world.

* The Gimbal Thrust System and other proprietary Vector Thrust Control Systems are current Patent Pending.

2008 marked a milestone event with Premier Kites as we began an exciting project combining Premier’s legendary expertise in kite fabrication with the recent breakthroughs in RC propulsion and control. Premier RC was born! Premier RC is committed to bringing you the best this new hobby has to offer. The finest materials, the finest designs and the backing of the finest kite manufacturer on the planet will provide your boarding pass to another world of flight.

Vector Powered Kites offer an undiscovered bridge between the beauty and gracefulness of traditional kite flying with the art of piloting remote aircraft. It’s innovative, exhilarating and incomparable – the playground in the sky has just received a new theme park!

• Vector control does not rely on airspeed. Kites can stall, stop and drift on the wind while the pilot still has full control to maneuver any direction.
• Kites by nature are slow moving, Vector power works in zero airspeed – what a great combination!
• By nature, kites are way more durable than foam or wood aircraft.  This is especially true when you compare equally size aircraft with Vector Kite sizes.  What kind of 5 foot aircraft can be crashed into the ground without significant damage?  Vector Kites simply absorb the crash and are often ready to fly after such events.
• Vector Kites are big!  And even better, they easily breakdown for transport and can fit in a small case for travel.
• Their slow movement make Vector Kites great for indoor gym flying.
• Some Vector Kites are able to simply lift off the ground with no taxiing but by directing thrust with high throttle downward.
• Vector kiting has a big advantage over traditional aircraft flying: the power unit is interchangable with all Vector Kites. Once you have purchased a kite with a Vector Power Unit, you may use the same power unit to fly other kites! For instance, if you own a Canard Vector Kite, you may purchase the lower priced "Vector Ready" Pyramid Racer and V-Wing Box and use your power unit for all three kites. Premier currently has three "Vector Ready" kites that work with the model 707 Vector Power Unit -- The Pyramid Racer, The Canard and the V-Wing Box -- and we plan to offer many more exciting "Vector Ready" kites in the near future.