PPL Checkride Guide
Chair flying / Turns Around a Point

Turns Around a Point

Fly two or more constant-radius circles around a ground reference, continuously varying bank to correct for wind drift: steepest downwind, shallowest upwind.

Guided rehearsal is PremiumACS V.B: Ground Reference Maneuvers

Pre-Maneuver Checklist (CRAAC)

  1. Clearing turns: two 90° turns or one 180° turn; look for traffic
  2. Reference point: select a visual reference and set the heading bug
  3. Altitude: the task's entry altitude; ground reference 600–1,000 ft AGL, slow flight and stalls finish at or above 1,500 ft AGL
    Ground reference maneuvers enter at 600–1,000 ft AGL and hold altitude ±100 ft. Slow flight and stalls (and the commercial chandelles, lazy eights, and steep spiral) finish no lower than 1,500 ft AGL. Eights on pylons fly at pivotal altitude.
  4. Airspeed: at or below Va (105 @ 2,325 lb / 90 @ 1,900 lb kt)
  5. Configuration: fuel pump ON, lights ON, mixture RICH, flaps as needed

Setup

  1. Select a prominent point with a suitable emergency landing area nearby
  2. Clean configuration, 2,100 RPM (80–85 kt)
  3. Descend to 600–1,000 ft AGL; radius roughly ¼–½ mile

Execution

  1. Enter downwind, abeam the point, rolling into the steepest bank (up to 45°)
    Highest groundspeed is downwind, so that is where bank is steepest. Shallowest bank is at the upwind point. Bank continuously varies with groundspeed around the circle.
  2. Shallow the bank toward the upwind side, then steepen again toward downwind
  3. Crab into and out of the wind on the crosswind portions to hold the radius

Recovery

  1. Roll out on the entry heading; maintain altitude throughout

ACS tolerances

  • Altitude ±100 ft
  • Airspeed ±10 kt
  • Constant radius, bank not to exceed 45°

Common errors

  • Not steepening the bank enough at the downwind point
  • Egg-shaped track from poor drift correction on the crosswind sides
  • Fixating on the point and losing altitude