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Order of the Skywatcher Clan

THUNDER BIRD / CHIYAOU / HAWK EYE

Kites have an enormously long history dating back to a time of antiquity. This is a brief history of the use of kites:

6,000 bp- Evidence of ancient Native Americans using kites to loft people into the sky to direct Earth works.

3,000 bp- Egyptians using kites to help lift some stone spires.

2,500 bp- Kites are flying in China for a variety of purposes.

1500-500 bp- During the Middle Ages, kites are used for signaling, communications links by dropping messages and actually lifting men to several hundred feet.

1752- Benjamin Franklin conducts his lightning experiment using a kite which was based on an experiment first performed by a Frenchman.

1861-61- During the American Civil War kites are towed behind steam ships for manned observation and surveillance.

1892- Lawrence Hargrave invents a new form of box kite which is adopted by early meteorologists and scientists to carry instruments to measure weather, cosmic rays and radiation to 5000 feet.

1904-05- The Wright Brothers fly kites in the shapes of their later aircraft to test the designs.

1914-18- During World War One kites were used for artillery signaling and lifting radio aerials.

1939-45- During World War Two kites were used as signaling devices, especially on life rafts at sea, artillery signaling and anti aircraft artillery target practice.

1960s- Colorado State University sends a kite to 10,000 feet with the goal of reaching 20,000.

1980s- Cosmo Rocketry Club uses small kites to loft passive payloads prior to launching sounding rockets.

Present- People all over the world using kites for recreation, fishing, scientific research, festivals and aerial photography.

The Order of the Skywatcher Clan is expanding its science and research program from hand held instruments to an airborne instrument that will measure and map ELF emissions of the Earth below with the goal of searching out Earth energy and other sources of ancient energy.

The vehicle that will carry the payload into the sky is the THUNDER BIRD (delta class kite) seen to the left being assembled. From wing tip to wing tip is 10 feet. The Thunder Bird has a center truss that will allow payloads to ride directly on the kite or be suspended from the tether. A series of test flights will be performed before the Thunder Bird starts to loft scientific payloads into the sky to work out performance and load lifting capability. The primary support for the Thunder Bird were obtained from the tribe's dear friends and supporters at Western Crafts & Gifts Company. Reference books that provide insight into the Native American use of Earth energy were also obtained there as well as some tools and materials.

ChiyaOu (Dragon Star) is a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which is made from light weight Balsa wood. It's wing span, from wing tip to wing tip is over 10 feet and is the powered by two ducted electric motors that will be mounted as part of the wing near the body. The wings will have thin, flexible solar panels attached to provide power to the electric motors and scientific instruments that are not sensitive to variances in voltage or current. This lightens the vehicle, and the payload, by allowing a few heavy batteries to stay on Earth. The solar panels also allows ChiyaOu to stay airborne for a longer period of time which allows the scientific instruments to gather as much information per flight as possible. As seen in the photo to the right, ChiyaOu is under construction.

The primary payload; HAWK EYE comes in two versions; One is a box shaped package the size of a briefcase with aerodynamic ends which will ride into the sky on Thunder Bird's tether line. The second version is smaller and will ride in the payload bay of the tribe's UAV. The payloads are based on hand held Extremely Low Frequency detectors. Hawk Eye I was designed to give the instrument the capability to produce an image by a wave guide that spins and allows ELF waves from a specific direction to enter the aperture and be focused onto a sensor that converts the faint electromagnetic wave into an amplified electrical current. The goal is to map out the ELFs and to better understand the ancient Earth energy flow patterns and other ELF sources. The map may also show subterranean water flow, revealing the frequency that dowsers respond to. It may also reveal artificial EMF pollution which at certain frequencies can have harmful affects to humans and animals.

Hawk Eye will also be carrying a miniature, color video camera that will allow ground control to see the area the ELF is looking at and where emissions are coming from. In addition to this reference, the video camera (available from project supporter; BOOSTER VISION.COM / BOOSTERJET AEROSPACE) will help obtain up to date maps as well as the thrill of seeing one's experiment operating high above the Earth (like an in atmosphere space mission). Other organizations that have been invited to participate include NASA, INFORMATION UNLIMITED, GATEWAY, HEWLETT PACKARD and the FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. Sadly, none of these organizations have expressed any interest in the project.

To fly a single Thunder Bird / Hawk Eye flight requires two laptop computers, receivers, logging multi meter, antennas, a reel with lock and brake, ground anchor and a crew of at least three participants. One person is needed for controlling the reel that will hold Thunder Bird to the ground, measure out the length of tether and calculate altitude and down range distances. Two are needed to operate the laptops to record the video and FM transmissions from the payload. With Hawk Eye II aboard ChiyaOu, another individual will be needed to keep the high gain antenna pointed at the circling UAV.

The program is free and open to anyone who is interested, and especially to students of area schools. Students will have their imaginations, sense of wonder and creativity boosted with participation in the program. Highly educational, and fun, the program teaches mathematics, electronics, computer skills, Earth studies and physics while combining Native American history and crafts. Students can arrange to design their own payloads to be launched by Thunder Bird and ChiyaOu along with the modular video camera to monitor their experiment. Students can design their own kites, whether for the fun or for learning.

Donations can now be sent using MONEYBOOKERS or EPASSPORTE.