WHY DO HELIKITES FLY SO WELL ?
Helikites are neither just a kite or just a balloon, they are a unique, newly patented combination of both (US Patent No. 6,016,998). As such, they employ the advantages of both without incurring too much of their disadvantages.
The Allsopp Helikite is lighter-than-air like a balloon but does not get knocked down by the wind like a normal balloon. In fact winds do the opposite to a Helikite - they actually force it up.
Normal kites get pushed up by the wind but come down if the wind changes or reduces in strength too much or gets too strong for their adjustment. Helikites can fly to great heights in no wind and then catch any breezes that may exist at altitude. They can then use that breeze to fly many thousands of feet high with ease.
So an Allsopp Helikite will fly in winds that are about twice the wind speed that traditional blimp shapes of similar sizes will fly in.
The balloon used by Helikites is fat and rounded, this is essential to provide good helium lift (about twice that of a comparably sized blimp). So a Helikite will withstand the weight of useful payloads such as cameras, scientific instruments or aerials. Its rounded balloon shape also ensures that changes in temperature affect the Helikite as little as possible. Most balloons shaped to fly like kites collapse when they hit cold air due to the shrinkage of the gas inside and consequent loss of pressure needed to retain their shape. This is less of a problem with fat, rounded Helikites, so they are far more reliable.
The other unique advantage of Helikites is their ability to be stacked one above another to increase lift on the same line. This way the number of Helikites and the amount of helium used can be tailored to the weather conditions and the particular job required of the Helikite that day. This saves helium, time and personnel. Stacking also allows great altitudes to be reached without line breakage.
Helikites are totally unique, no other helium filled tethered aerostat can use the wind in such a stable and efficient way. The power of the wind is so much greater than just helium that the Helikite`s ability to exploit wind lift as well as helium lift totally eclipses normal blimps because normal blimps only lift with helium.
What this means to the user is that height is no longer a problem, nor is wind. Objects can be lifted to any height there is atmosphere to support the Helikite. If there is no wind, fine the helium will do the job. If there is wind – even better! So only the Allsopp Helikite can be used for so many different things with such ease.
Quite simply - for lifting, use Helikites.