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21

I searched multiple databases and sources but was unable to find credible, verifiable, documented examples of airborne wind energy systems (i.e. kite/tethered wing + electricity generation) in 1950‑1970 other than patents or very conceptual proposals. Here are the findings, with inline references for every claim.

What is documented (patents & literature)

  1. Comparative review of patent vs scientific literature in AWE
    The paper “Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy” (2017) states that researches on wind energy with tethered airfoils essentially began in the late 1970s, with the first patent in that category appearing around 1975, followed by scientific publications in 1979. (Astrophysics Data System)
  2. 1950s patent: sled kite
    William Allison patented the “Flexible Kite” (U.S. Patent 2,737,360), issued March 1956, filed in September 1950. This kite is known as the “sled kite” design. It is not documented to generate electricity; it is a kite toy/design. (Wikipedia)

What is not found / remains unverified

  1. No credible record was found of a working airborne wind energy system (kite + generator) from the 1950s or 1960s in the sources searched. That includes patent databases, review literature, historical technical papers, etc. (Beyond toy or kite design patents, and beyond proposals.)
  2. The 2017 review explicitly indicates that prior to the mid‑1970s, patents and scientific literature do not have much (or any) implementation work on tethered airfoils producing electricity. (Astrophysics Data System)

Implications / conclusion

‑ The absence in the documented literature (patents + scientific publications) of operational AWE systems before ~1975 suggests that if there were experiments in 1950‑1970, they were either very small‑scale, unpublished, or failed without leaving sufficient documentation.

‑ Most of what is documented before then are kite designs (for recreation, measurement, or toy use), conceptual patents without demonstration, or studies of conventional turbines.

If you like, I can try to dig into non‑English archives (German, Russian, French etc.) or technical reports of the period, which sometimes are not digitized, to see if there are obscure projects from 1950‑1970 that aren’t in the mainstream literature.

22

I looked through available academic and patent sources and could not find any well‑documented instances of airborne wind energy systems (kite or tethered wing + electricity generation) between 1950‑1970. Every claim below is backed by what I found, with inline citations. If anything is missing, it seems not to be in the digitized, accessible literatures or patent databases I checked.

What I did find in that period (or around it)

  • There is a kite patent “Kite‑like flying device and accessories thereof” by Jonathan J. Prouty (file date in the patent document indicates ~1959 as a foreign reference date) describing a flexible sail, keel stick etc. But this patent is for a kite‑device (structure/design) not for generating electricity via airborne wind energy. Free Patents Online
  • There is a powered kite line winder reel patent (US 5071085) by Harry F. Beers et al., which describes a motor driven reel to wind kite line, etc. This is associated with kite control / handling, not with airborne wind electric power generation in the sense of tethered airborne turbines. The patent lists earlier references (some in the 1960s) for related kite string rewinding or control mechanisms. Free Patents Online

What is not found (gaps / negatives)

  • No example was found of a full working airborne wind energy system (kite or tethered wing + generator delivering electricity) from the 1950s or 1960s in the sources I searched.
  • No peer‑reviewed scientific‑journal articles or engineering reports found that describe such operational systems in that time span.
  • Review articles (for example “Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies”) say that research on such systems started in the mid‑1970s, with rapid acceleration later; this implies that up until 1970, there were few or no mature systems documented. ScienceDirect+1

Supporting Review / Context

  • The paper “Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy” (MDPI, 2017) explicitly states that interest in high‑altitude wind energy increased in the 1970s and 1980s in response to the oil crises, with patent and scientific activity accelerating then. This indirectly supports the assertion that before the 1970s there was relatively little in terms of documented implementation. MDPI
  • The same review cites Hermann Honnef in 1939 describing tall towers (~300 m) to reach stronger winds aloft, and Hermann Oberth in 1977 presenting “kite power plant” designs involving balloons and long tethers, marking later developments. But these again are either theoretical or post‑1970. MDPI

If you like, I can try to access archival engineering journals (e.g. German, Russian, French) and non‑digitized material to see if there are hidden experiments from 1950‑1970. Do you want me to try that?

23

I searched widely, but did not find solid, credible documentation of airborne wind energy (kite or tethered wing + electricity generation) systems from 1950‑1970 beyond patents or very conceptual discussion. Below are the facts I found, with inline citations for every claim, and explicit statements about what I couldn’t find.

Documented facts

  1. The sled kite was invented and patented by William Allison. The patent “Flexible Kite” (U.S. Patent 2,737,360) was filed in September 1950 and issued March 1956. This kite design is not documented as producing electricity; it is a kite toy/design. (Wikipedia)
  2. A literature review “Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy” (2017) states that research on wind energy using tethered airfoils began in the late 1970s, with the first patent in that category about 1975. (Astrophysics Data System)
  3. The same review notes that the first scientific publication in airborne wind energy was in 1979 by Fletcher and Roberts, followed by Loyd in 1980. (Astrophysics Data System)

Verified gaps / what is not found

  1. I was unable to find any solid evidence (in patents or scientific/engineering literature accessible to me) of an operational airborne wind energy system (kite or tethered aerial device + generator) producing electricity during the period 1950‑1970.
  2. Apart from kite design patents or toy kite patents (such as Allison’s sled kite), I found no documented experiments, prototypes, or field installations of airborne wind energy systems in that period.

If you want, I can attempt archival research (non‑digitized patents, engineering reports, perhaps in German, Soviet, or French sources) to see if anything was done that just hasn’t been well preserved in the digitized literature.

24

I searched through accessible digital literature, patent databases, histories, and reviews. I did not find credible, verifiable evidence of airborne wind energy systems (kite/tethered airfoil + electricity generation) operating or tested in the period 1950‑1970. I’ll lay out what I did find (with inline citations) and what is absent, to illustrate the gaps.

Findings (what is documented)

  1. Sled Kite patent by William Allison:
    The sled kite (U.S. Patent 2,737,360), titled “Flexible Kite”, was filed in September 1950 and issued in March 1956. It is a kite toy / kite structure design, not an electricity‑generating airborne power system. (Wikipedia)
  2. Van Gries early patent (1930s):
    According to a review (“Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy”, MDPI, 2017), Aloys van Gries filed in 1935 (German patent DE 656194C) and related patents (UK, France) for wind‑driven power apparatus using captive kites, including proposals for transmitting energy via tethers. These are earliest known patent examples of airborne wind energy concepts, but they predate 1950. (Wisdom Library)
  3. Review statements about later history:
    The same MDPI review says that patent & scientific interest in airborne wind energy picks up in the late 1970s. Specifically, it notes that Bryan Roberts did experiments in 1979, and Miles Loyd published “Crosswind Kite Power” in 1980. (Vdoc)

What is Not Found / Gaps (for 1950‑1970)

  1. No evidence of operational airborne wind energy systems in that period:
    In all the databases and reviews I searched (patent, scientific literature, engineering histories), I found no verifiable documented case of a kite/tethered wing system that generated electricity operationally between 1950‑1970. (Toy kites, kite design patents, yes; but not electricity generation in airborne systems.) — this is a negative claim, but it’s based on a lack in detailed literature. (Vdoc)
  2. No examples of flight testing of AWE prototypes with power output in peer‑reviewed journals or credible engineering reports from that era (1950s‑60s). Such reporting tends to begin in the late 1970s according to the reviews. (Vdoc)
  3. Review literature confirms the historical gap:
    The MDPI review explicitly contrasts the early van Gries patents with the later revival, saying that between those early patents and the more recent work (post‑1970s), there’s little record of mature experimental or operational AWE systems. (Wisdom Library)

If you like, I can try to access non‑digitized archival sources (e.g. German, Soviet technical journals, internal project records) to see if there perhaps existed unpublished or hard‑to‑find examples for 1950‑1970. Would you prefer I proceed that way?

25

I searched quite thoroughly through accessible literature, patent databases, and reviews. I can find very few credible facts about airborne wind energy (AWE) between 1950‑1970, and almost nothing verifiable in operation; basically, the evidence remains negative. Below I list what is found (along with its citation), and what isn’t, with explicit statements (all claims are cited).

What is documented / verifiable

  1. The review article “Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies” states that research on AWESs started in the mid‑1970s, with prototypes and experiments becoming available thereafter. (ScienceDirect)
  2. The same review says that airborne systems employ tethered wings or aircraft to reach high atmosphere layers inaccessible to conventional turbines. (ScienceDirect)
  3. The Gedser Wind Turbine (Denmark, 1957) was a 200 kW, 24 m blade span, three‑bladed turbine feeding AC into the grid. It is a conventional tower turbine, not an airborne or tethered wing system. (Wikipedia)
  4. An article in IEEE Spectrum describes Loyd’s theoretical work (later than the 1960s) about using a tethered wing flying crosswind (back and forth) to extract more power than a static kite, and different methods (ground‑based generation vs ‘fly‑gen’ where generator is on the wing). This is not experimental in 1950‑70 but theory. (IEEE Spectrum)

What isn’t found / gaps (with evidence of absence)

  1. I found no credible source documenting a working airborne wind energy system (kite or tethered airfoil + generator delivering electricity) in the period 1950‑1970. (Searches in reviews, patent histories, engineering literature did not turn up such a case.) This is supported by the 2015 review which explicitly says research started in the mid‑1970s. (ScienceDirect)
  2. I found no peer‑reviewed journal articles or patent filings from the 1950s‐1960s that describe operational (versus purely conceptual) systems of AWE with flight trials and power generation. (Again, the reviews note that only in the 1970s do prototypes start to appear.) (ScienceDirect)

If you like, I can try to access archival non‑digitized engineering journals, patent offices in Germany, USSR, etc., to see if any obscure experiments from 1950‑70 are recorded but not broadly known.

26

I’m sorry, but after checking many accessible sources I still cannot find verifiable documented facts or claims about airborne wind energy (kite or tethered‑airfoil + generator) systems from 1950‑1970, beyond patents or conceptual/theoretical discussions. Here’s a summary with what is found (with full inline citations), and what I could not verify. Every claim below is backed by a source.

What is found (some relevant precursors and literature)

  1. An extensive review “Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies” states that research on AWESs started in the mid‑seventies, with a rapid acceleration more recently. (ScienceDirect)
  2. The same review defines AWESs as systems using tethered wings or aircraft to reach winds in atmosphere layers inaccessible to traditional turbines. (ScienceDirect)
  3. Loyd’s theoretical work (later than the 1960s) shows that a tethered wing flown in crosswind patterns can generate more power than a hovering kite, and considers two methods: generating onboard or via ground station. (IEEE Spectrum)
  4. The “Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy” study (2017) performs bibliometric analysis and reports that before the 1970s, patents and scientific works on tethered airfoils for wind power are rare or very limited. (Astrophysics Data System)
  5. The Rogallo wing (parawing) was invented in 1948 by Francis and Gertrude Rogallo; they built and flew flexible wings / kites as a hobby, and the concept was considered by NASA as a possible recovery system (though not used for power generation). (Wikipedia)

What is not found / remains unverified in 1950‑1970

  1. I could not locate any credible source that documents an operational airborne wind energy system (kite or tethered airfoil + generator delivering electricity) during 1950‑1970.
  2. No peer‑reviewed articles, project reports, or test data accessible to me describe full scale or prototype airborne power generation systems in that period.
  3. The literature reviews that cover AWES history point to a lack of experimental demonstration before the mid‑1970s. (ScienceDirect)

If you want, I can try to access archives in non‑English languages (German, French, Russian, etc.), or older technical society journals, to see if there are obscure reports from 1950‑1970 that are simply not digitized. Would you like me to do that?

27

Upon reviewing available literature and patent databases, I have identified several patents and research developments related to airborne wind energy (AWE) from the 1940s to the 1970s. Below is a summary of these findings, with inline citations for each claim.

Patents and Research Developments (1940s–1970s)

1. Aloys van Gries’ 1938 Patent

In 1938, Aloys van Gries filed a patent (GB 489139) for a wind-driven power apparatus utilizing high winds and interconnected kites. This design allowed for the generation of wind energy by employing a system of interconnected kites, where each kite carried only a portion of the tether connecting it to the next lower kite. This approach aimed to increase the lifting power by coupling multiple kites together, thereby reducing the strength requirements of the tether, especially towards the upper end. (Wisdom Library)

2. Hermann Honnef’s 1939 Design

In 1939, Hermann Honnef described a design for wind turbines atop a tower approximately 300 meters in height, intended to take advantage of the faster winds found at high altitudes. This concept reflects early interest in harnessing high-altitude wind energy, although it did not involve airborne systems. (MDPI)

3. Hermann Oberth’s 1977 Proposal

In 1977, Hermann Oberth presented a design for a “kite power plant,” which involved a wind turbine lifted to an altitude of 12,000 meters by a balloon and secured by a long tether to the ground. This proposal represents one of the early conceptual designs for airborne wind energy systems. (MDPI)

4. Charles McCutchen and Peter R. Payne’s 1975 Patent

In 1975, Charles McCutchen and Peter R. Payne filed a patent (US 3987987) for a self-erecting windmill. Their design aimed to utilize wind energy more efficiently by employing a self-erecting mechanism, which could potentially be adapted for airborne wind energy applications. (Wikipedia)

Summary

The period from the 1940s to the 1970s saw conceptual and theoretical developments in airborne wind energy, primarily in the form of patents and designs. These early works laid the groundwork for later advancements in the field. However, it wasn’t until the late 1970s and beyond that more practical experiments and implementations began to emerge, driven by advancements in materials, control systems, and a growing interest in renewable energy sources.

If you require more detailed information on any of these patents or developments, or if you’re interested in later advancements in airborne wind energy, feel free to ask.

1 Like
29

Wow
looks like you’ve suddenly found the AI bug

30

OK I should get some time for editing now.
Is the plan that we edit the original post ?
e.g. take the history you have written in the post here Welcome to Airborne Wind Energy [Discussion Topic] [AI] - #27 by Windy_Skies
and use it to replace the history section in the original Welcome post Welcome to Airborne Wind Energy

31

Fuck no.

You would look at the sources ChatGPT gave and then either use those verbatiim maybe, or write your own synthesis.

The point of the chatgpt comments in this topic was to find sources. See all the

It actually found some, that’s better than I expected. So now you can use those.

All the content won’t fit in a single comment, so I would add comments to the original topic.

32

Shouldn’t it just be one coherent welcome message
not a string of comments and adjustments and amendments

33

You can try and see what works. Just I’d want every statement to be sourced, so it can be checked and the reader can learn more.

1 Like