Lesson Plan

Turns Around A Point

Objectives

  • Maintaining a specific relationship between the airplane and the ground.
  • Dividing attention between the flightpath, groundbased references, manipulating of the flight controls, and scanning for outside hazards and instrument indications.
  • Adjusting the bank angle during turns to correct for groundspeed changes in order to maintain a constant radius turn, steeper bank angles for higher ground speeds, shallow bank angles for slower groundspeeds.
  • Improving competency in managing the quickly changing bank angles.
  • Establishing and adjusting the wind correction angle in order to maintain the track over the ground.
  • Developing the ability to compensate for drift in quickly changing orientations.
  • Developing further awareness that the radius of a turn is correlated to the bank angle.

Elements

Examples

Checkout the BoldMethod CFI Tools: Turns Around A Point application for an interactive demonstration of Turns Around A Point.

Common Errors

  • Failure to adequately clear the area above, below, and on either side of the airplane for safety hazards, initially and throughout the maneuver.
  • Failure to establish a constant, level altitude prior to entering the maneuver.
  • Failure to maintain altitude during the maneuver.
  • Failure to properly assess wind direction.
  • Failure to properly execute constant radius turns.
  • Failure to manipulate the flight controls in a smooth and continuous manner when transitioning into turns.
  • Failure to establish the appropriate wind correction angle.
  • Failure to apply coordinated aileron and rudder pressure, resulting in slips or skids.

References