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Leading Edge Landing


kitepilot
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The AKA’s International Sport Kite Compulsories Book lists the maneuver DI04 as a Launch, Circle, and Land. It further explains that the landing must be a leading edge landing.

I’ve done a leading edge landing many times already, usually ending with a broken leading edge or spreader (and everyone turning around to see who did the kah-thunk!).

Can anyone explain to me how this maneuver is safely executed?

Thanks, kitepilot

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For the launch, circle and land, it's a bit tricky... I'll do my best to explain:

  1. Fly the maneuver...
  2. Now the kite is headed directly at the ground...
  3. About a foot or two off the ground, slightly pull on the left line to cock the nose towards the right...
  4. Immediately after the slight left hand pull, give that same hand all the way out with a big step forward at the same time.

The idea is to get the lowermost leading edge parallel with the ground, then to lay the uppermost wing back so the kite sets firmly and evenly on the lowermost leading edge.

It's actually much harder than a pancake landing, and about a technical as a proper two-point landing.

Ask more questions if necessary, not a problem.

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As AKA Sport Kite Chair, I'm going to move that we strike the leading edge landing and replace it it optional pancake or two-point landing.

Im glad im not the only person who thinks this makes more sense...

Are the compulsories made by someone who's never flown a kite? It kinda seems that way when you look at a few of them :kid_cussing:

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The change to a leading edge landing from an "unspecified" landing on that figure happened at the last change in figures - effective at the beginning of this season, but announced quite a while after that. David Hansen had been gone for quite a while.

I'm not sure what the thinking was on that one either.

I do know that I get asked a lot of question on that one by new potential competive fliers, including if they can change kites after that figure. :kid_cussing:

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  • 4 weeks later...

T!hanks for the advice. Been trying the DI 04 maneuver as you suggested. Gonna take a lot of practice, and your suggestion works. It sounds like this maneuver could be the tie breaker in a close competition (and a spar breaker, too!).

Does the center of the precision grid have to be directly downwind? I was thinking……..…If I launch in the power zone, do the circle in the center of the left or right half of the wind window, it would be easy to land on the leading edge of the kite at the very edge of the wind window. Would this lose me points in a competition? kitepilot

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T!hanks for the advice. Been trying the DI 04 maneuver as you suggested. Gonna take a lot of practice, and your suggestion works. It sounds like this maneuver could be the tie breaker in a close competition (and a spar breaker, too!).

Does the center of the precision grid have to be directly downwind? I was thinking……..…If I launch in the power zone, do the circle in the center of the left or right half of the wind window, it would be easy to land on the leading edge of the kite at the very edge of the wind window. Would this lose me points in a competition? kitepilot

I'm going to answer that to the best of what I've heard. It has to do with the observation that you can move horizontally anywhere in the window after you first establish where the center of the window is. IOW, in medium to high winds, you could start with the kite at 30% to the left, call in, walk left til you're level with the kite, fly the figure, walk further to the left, and land with the kite 30% to the right of the place where you called in.

Doug L.

Someone who knows better, correct me here, but that's my best understanding of shat people have said about this, aside from John's comments for punching the landing.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

You guys :) are AWESOME!!!!! I used the information you all gave me, did a lot of practicing, and didn't make a fool :blushing: of myself on the competition field. I entered the novice dual line Precision at the Wildwoods Festival, my first competition. Came in second place! You guys were the wind that filled the sails of my kite! Thanks! :P kitepilot

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