Kite Tricks

Jacob's Ladder

Group 3

Description

The Jacob's Ladder is a continuous series of transitions between a half Backspin rotation and a half Lazy Susan. Each 'rung' of the ladder consists of one set of the two alternating rotations. The direction of the rotations does not matter. The trick is entered from either a Fade or a Turtle. If it is entered from a Fade (belly up, nose toward the pilot), the kite is rotated approximately 180° so that it is belly up, nose away as in a Turtle, but with the lines still over the leading edges and coming from under the kite. The kite is then rolled on the pitch axis so that the nose swings down and around a full 360°, into a true Turtle. The kite is then rotated approximately 180°, so that it is belly up, nose toward the pilot as in a Fade, but with the lines still over the trailing edge and coming from underneath. Finally the kite is rolled again on the pitch axis so that the nose swings up and around a full 360°, into a true Fade. This entire sequence constitutes one full rung of Jacob's Ladder. (If the trick is entered from a Turtle, it starts with a half Lazy Susan and the alternating sequence continues as just described.) The kite must complete three full rungs of the ladder. The smoothness of the transitions between positions is crucial to the quality of the trick. The method and direction of entry and exit do not matter.

Key Elements

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