Spiral rope could inter a sub-heading for AWE spare parts, as could clamps and latches, and the like.
Why a spiral rope? Because sometimes you need the full length of the rope, and sometimes you don’t need it because it’s not practical to have extra rope lying around.
I used a spiral rope for Solar balloon jumping.
This way, when I retrieved the balloon, I didn’t get my feet caught in the retracted rope.
Unlike other types of rope reels, there are no mechanical parts, so it is quite easy to use and reliable. On the other hand, it increases the drag.
I will give an example with @Rodread’s lift kite network, video: The ropes surrounding the net form a circle and are of the same size so that the net can function regardless of the wind direction. This will necessarily result in a surplus of ropes in the downwind area, excepted when winches are used, but sometimes wind changes occur very quickly. Then the surplus can be absorbed by the implementation of spiral ropes placed between the ground and the corresponding set of ropes.
The position of the spiral ropes would be as follows: taut when upwind (photo 1), retracted when downwind (photo 2).
