Chair flying / Steep Turns
Steep Turns
360° turns at 45° bank holding altitude and airspeed — division of attention, load-factor awareness, and smooth coordinated control at high bank angles.
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 AGLACS 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
- Cruise checklist
- 95 KIAS (approx. 2,300 RPM)
- Note entry heading — set the heading bug
Execution
- Roll into a 360° turn with 45° of bank (Private) — 50° for Commercial
- Add 100–200 RPM passing 30° of bankAt 45° bank load factor is ~1.4 G: the lift vector tilts, back pressure raises AOA, induced drag rises — the extra power holds airspeed. Stall speed increases ~19%.
- Maintain altitude and airspeed
- Roll out ½ bank angle (~22°) prior to the entry heading
Recovery
- Wings level on the entry heading — hold altitude
- Repeat in the opposite direction
ACS tolerances
- Altitude ±100 ft
- Airspeed ±10 kt
- Bank 45° ±5°
- Rollout heading ±10°
Common errors
- Gaining altitude — too much back pressure
- Losing altitude — not enough back pressure or power
- Overbanking — reduce aileron, slight opposite pressure