Chair flying / Eights on Pylons

Eights on Pylons

A figure-eight flown around two pylons while holding an imaginary line from the wingtip on each pylon — the most advanced ground reference maneuver, controlled by pitching to hold pivotal altitude rather than by banking for drift. A commercial maneuver.

Chair fly it

Pre-Maneuver Checklist (CRAAC)

Clearing turns — two 90° turns or one 180° turn; look for traffic
Reference point — select a visual reference and set the heading bug
Altitude — high enough to complete the maneuver at or above 1,500 ft AGL
ACS minimums: slow flight and stall recovery complete ≥1,500 ft AGL; ground reference maneuvers enter at 600–1,000 ft AGL.
Airspeed — at or below Va (105 @ 2,325 lb / 90 @ 1,900 lb kt)
Configuration — fuel pump ON, lights ON, mixture RICH, flaps as needed

Setup

Clean configuration
95 kt, maintain about 1,000 ft AGL on a heading with the wind from the right
Pivotal altitude ≈ groundspeed² ÷ 11.3 + field elevation (groundspeed in knots, result in feet MSL). It is the altitude at which the wingtip line holds on the pylon with no bank correction; it changes with groundspeed around the turn.
Identify the first pylon off the left wing, with an emergency landing area nearby
Once abeam the first pylon, count 15–25 seconds and identify the second pylon

Execution

Fly a right teardrop entry onto a downwind 45°, splitting the pylons evenly
Check groundspeed and adjust altitude to pivotal altitude before splitting the pylons
Begin the left turn around the first pylon, holding the wingtip line on it
Pitch to hold the line: descend if the pylon moves ahead of the wingtip, climb if it falls behind
Above pivotal altitude the pylon appears to move ahead; below it, behind. Correct with pitch — not bank — to the correct pivotal altitude for the current groundspeed.

Recovery

Roll out to proceed diagonally between the pylons at 45° for 3–5 seconds
Begin the second turn in the opposite direction; exit on the entry heading

ACS tolerances

Hold the wingtip line on the pylon
Correct with pitch to pivotal altitude, not bank

Common errors

Using bank instead of pitch to hold the pylon
Not adjusting altitude as groundspeed changes around the turn
Uncoordinated flight — slipping or skidding to hold the line