Mastering Steep Turns

If there is one maneuver the majority of my students have difficulty mastering, it is steep turns. The two most common problems I see are difficulty maintaining altitude and bank angle throughout the turn. The Private Pilot Practical Test Standards says that in a steep turn the pilot must hold altitude plus or minus 100 feet and maintain bank angle plus or minus 10 degrees from the target angle which is 45 degrees of bank.


I will skip a detailed description of how to accomplish a steep turn as there are plenty of great ones already out there. I have found that if a pilot if having difficulty with steep turns it is most likely a result of fixating on the aircraft's instrumentation. This is usually evidenced by large pitch and bank changes. It is difficult, especially for a student pilot who has not spent hundreds of hours gazing at the instruments, to maintain a stable pitch and bank while looking inside the cockpit. Here is what I suggest to my students:  Before beginning the maneuver be sure to make note of the aircraft's heading and altitude. Otherwise you won't even know what you're shooting for! Also, look up at the horizon and try to pick a point ahead of the aircraft that will help you know when you're completing the 360 degree turn. Roll into the bank, glancing at the attitude indicator to see where 45 degrees of bank is, then move your eyes outside to the horizon (after some practice you can start to gauge 45 degrees by the horizon alone). Throughout the turn use the horizon to hold your altitude and bank angle, looking periodically at the instruments to verify altitude and bank angle are correct. It is so much easier to perceive unwanted movements this way!

Given this suggestion I see instant results. Sometimes for stubborn students I will even cover the instrument panel completely and have them do a 360 degree turn. The result is always much better than their prior turns and most of the time even within 100 feet of altitude and 10 degrees of heading.