Tethered wings.

This is something I have been playing with for some time, basically a
lighter, cheaper and more versatile approach to wings.

It has the potential to greatly reduce the cost and increase the
effectiveness of aircraft and wind turbines. It should be of
considerable interest with regard to the air launch and recovery of
rockets. Enabling a fully controlled glide and soft vertical landing
for less than the weight of a parachute.

It should eventually yield around a five to tenfold cost reduction for
wind turbines, (around 0.5 cents per kilowatt hour), including the
capacity for far greater scale. Similarly it should advance aircraft by
near doubling payload/efficiency, reducing cost, reducing scaling
constraints, and allowing VTOL.

However, it is a little out there and will take many years to develop to
COTS levels.

http://www.inet.net.nz/~cbrent/pete/

Note, I only learnt how to make a website yesterday, it will get better.

Pete.