1. I tried to Email the Foxxaero addess but my server still won't let me.

2. Shake off the obsession with ground effect. WIG machines only notice this because they are inefficient flying machines, ie, very low aspect ratio. If a sensible aspect ratio is employed the effect becomes small to insignificant (as conclusively and embarassingly proved by many human powered aircraft). It is of interest that one WIG machine needs about 250HP to move six people at 80kts, this is not an achievement! A wind gradient machine (sketch soon, I promise!) is no different to a boat with a lifting rig, eventually the problem becomes not one of lifting the craft but of keeping it down at higher speeds. The appealing thing about the "two kites" approach is that it will find a natural altitude and stay there once a stable speed is achieved. If you wish to crunch the numbers, a good wind gradient approximation is the Blasius formula, ie, a 1/7 power law with altitude. The equation looks like this:

V=Vref*(h/href)^(1/7)

Where href is the height at which the wind is measured, Vref is the wind speed measured at that height and h is the altitude of choice. I'll expand on other details on request!

Jon.