Steep turns are a fundamental maneuver in flight training, and mastering them is essential for every pilot. Whether you’re preparing for your checkride or improving your piloting skills, mastering steep turns will help you become more confident and precise in the cockpit.
In this guide, we’ll provide you with:
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A breakdown of steep turns
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Tips to help you improve
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Common mistakes and how to avoid them
✈️ Download: Get our “Steep Turn Mastery Checklist” here to perfect your steep turns.
Table of Contents
What Are Steep Turns?
A steep turn is a maneuver where the pilot flies a turn with a bank angle greater than 30 degrees—usually around 45 degrees or more. Steep turns test your ability to maintain control of the aircraft while also managing its attitude, altitude, and speed during the turn.
While steep turns are often required during flight training and checkrides, they also help you understand how the aircraft responds to changes in banking and why maintaining proper coordination (using the rudder) is essential.
Why Steep Turns Are Important
Steep turns teach you essential skills that you’ll need throughout your flying career. Here’s why they’re crucial:
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Improved aircraft control: Steep turns help you develop better control of the aircraft, especially in terms of managing the attitude, altitude, and coordination during the turn.
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Increased situational awareness: By learning how to execute steep turns, you’ll be able to keep track of the aircraft’s orientation in space, improving your overall situational awareness.
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Prepares you for more advanced maneuvers: Steep turns are a foundational skill for other advanced maneuvers, like chandelles, lazy eights, and stalls.
Steep turns also simulate the banking needed for tight turns, which you may encounter in cross-country flights or in traffic patterns at busy airports.
Tips for Mastering Steep Turns
1. Set Your Power and Speed First
Before attempting a steep turn, ensure that your power settings and airspeed are correct. Steep turns are best performed at cruise power and an airspeed that’s not too slow or too fast. A good range for most training aircraft is around 90 to 110 knots.
If your airspeed is too high, you risk excessive banking, and if it’s too low, you may lose lift and stall.
2. Use Proper Bank and Roll-In Technique
As you initiate the turn:
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Gradually roll the aircraft into the turn by applying a steady, coordinated aileron input.
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Aim for a 45-degree bank angle. If you’re in a low-wing airplane, you should be able to see the horizon while turning. In high-wing aircraft, you may need to look out the window to see how far the wings have banked.
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Be mindful of how much pressure you apply. A quick, forceful roll-in can cause turbulence or an uncontrolled increase in bank angle.
3. Maintain Constant Altitude
One of the key challenges of steep turns is maintaining altitude. As you roll into the turn, the aircraft’s lift vector is tilted, which will tend to make you lose altitude.
To maintain altitude:
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Increase back pressure on the yoke or control stick to offset the loss of lift.
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Add a slight increase in power to counteract the loss of airspeed due to the increased angle of attack.
It’s important to continuously monitor and adjust your pitch and power to maintain a steady altitude.
4. Use Rudder for Coordination
In a steep turn, you may need to apply rudder to keep the aircraft in coordinated flight. This is essential to prevent the plane from skidding or slipping during the turn. Your body will naturally want to “lean” towards the inside of the turn, and your job is to compensate with coordinated use of the rudder and ailerons.
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Apply slight rudder pressure in the direction of the turn to help keep the aircraft coordinated.
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Constantly monitor the turn to avoid skidding or slipping. A ball in the turn coordinator should stay centered.
5. Roll Out Smoothly
As you complete the turn, you need to smoothly roll the aircraft back to straight and level flight:
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Ease back on the control as you approach the desired heading.
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Maintain control of the aircraft throughout the rollout, especially if you need to adjust power and trim.
Avoid rushing the rollout, as doing so too quickly can cause the aircraft to dip or climb unexpectedly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Not Adjusting Power
Many student pilots focus too much on the turn itself and forget to adjust power when necessary. If you’re descending during the turn, increase power to regain altitude. If you’re climbing too much, reduce power slightly.
2. Overbanking or Underbanking
It’s easy to either bank too steeply or not enough. Overbanking can lead to an overloaded aircraft, while underbanking might result in not completing the turn in the desired space.
Remember, 45 degrees of bank is ideal. Practice visualizing this during your flight to ensure you’re not over or underbanking.
3. Losing Altitude
If you lose altitude during the turn, you’re likely not applying enough back pressure or power. Always be proactive in adjusting your attitude to prevent altitude loss.
4. Incorrect Rudder Coordination
If you’re not using the rudder correctly, you may experience a slipping or skidding turn. This can make the turn uncomfortable and may result in uncoordinated flight, which can lead to accidents.
Make sure you’re using proper rudder input to keep the aircraft coordinated and prevent unnecessary stress on the airframe.
Final Thoughts
Mastering steep turns takes practice and patience, but it’s a key skill that every pilot needs to develop. By setting the right power and speed, maintaining altitude, using proper rudder coordination, and avoiding common mistakes, you’ll be able to execute steep turns smoothly and confidently.
🛫 Want to continue improving your skills? Check out our guide on how to pass your private pilot checkride for more tips and tricks to succeed!