The large adult flew his kite in an oasis of green, surrounded by brown, dusty fields.

It was a big kite, with control lines for angle of attack. The kite swooped up and down.

Looking closely, one could see that the main line to the kite was hooked to a water pump handle.

Another kite, nearby, had the control lines linked to the angle of the handle.
As the pump handle went up and down, the kite was controlled accordingly.
-- Ling, Jun 17 2005

Saw an illustration in a textbook once of an Indian village water pump which was driven by a rope tied to the branch of a nearby tree. As the branch flexed in the wind, it drew water.

Which is kind of not the same thing at all. ... anyway [+]
-- BunsenHoneydew, Jul 13 2005


The control line things are necessary to turn a steady pull into an alternating pull?
-- bungston, Jul 13 2005


[bungston], yes. They are similar to the left/right control lines on other kites, except in this case they control angle of attack and vary the pull.
Of course, the kite could be quite high, to get the strong winds.
-- Ling, Jul 14 2005



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