Method and system for moving an air vehicle between hover flight and crosswind flight

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To optimize an air vehicle for power generation flight. The method can include operating an air vehicle in a hover flight orientation. The air vehicle can be connected to a tether that defines a tether sphere having a radius based on the length of the tether, and the tether can be connected to a ground station. The method can include positioning the air vehicle at a first position substantially on the tether sphere. The method can include the step of transitioning the air vehicle from a hover flight orientation to a forward flight orientation so that the air vehicle moves from the tether ball. The method may also include operating the air vehicle to move in a forward flight orientation and at a certain rising angle to a second position substantially on the tether sphere. The first and second locations may be substantially leeward of the ground station. [Selection] Figure 1