Flight Training - July 2019 - 37

1. Entering downwind,
bank and groundspeed
are at maximum, rate of
turn is at its maximum,
and the wind correction
angle is zero.

0°

2. Bank angle, groundspeed, and rate of
turn decrease and the
wind correction angle
increases toward the
center of the turn.

1
2

3. Crab angle reaches
maximum perpendicular
to the wind and then
decreases, along with
bank angle, groundspeed,
and rate of turn.
B

270°

6

90°
A

5
3

4. Wind correction returns
to zero 180 degrees from
the starting point. Angle
of bank, groundspeed,
and rate of turn are at
minimum.
5. Bank angle, groundspeed, and rate of turn
increase as the wind
correction angle increases
to the outside of the turn.
6. Crab angle reaches
maximum perpendicular
to the wind.

Maintaining a constant radius from point
A requires constant changes to bank
angle and rate of turn. The airplane's
lateral axis always points to B. In this
scenario altitude, true airspeed, and
power remain constant. The maneuver
should be conducted above 500 feet agl
and at bank angles of no more than 45
degrees.

4

180°

With a direct tailwind or headwind, no wind
correction angle is necessary. But at the 90-degree
and 270-degree points, instantaneous wind correction angle is at its maximum-in this case, about 11.5
degrees (right and left, respectively).
Interestingly, another reference point appears.
Draw a line through the airplane's lateral axis, and it
will always point to B (above). This reference point is
on a line perpendicular to the wind vector. It could be a
few hundred feet on either side of the center depending on the ratio of wind to true airspeed.
The instantaneous wind correction angle is the
angle between the true airspeed vector and the
groundspeed vector, which are constantly changing.
The true airspeed vector is always perpendicular
to the instantaneous and variable radius of turn,
which is measured from B. The groundspeed vector
is always tangent to the circle and perpendicular
to the constant radius-of-turn over the ground-

from the center. The true airspeed vector lags the
groundspeed vector on the upwind side and leads the
groundspeed vector on the downwind side of the circle. In a no-wind case, the two centers merge and the
rate of turn, bank angle, and groundspeed values are
numerically between the maximum and minimum
values in turns with steady wind.
While all this may look overly complex (and the
science behind it certainly is), the skills you learn
performing turns around a point will change many
aspects of your flying with improved flight path
accuracy and safety. FT
NIHAD E. DAIDZIC is president and chief engineer at AAR

Aerospace Consulting and a professor at Minnesota State
University, Mankato. He is an ATP airplane multiengine land,
gold seal flight instructor, and a FAASTeam representative.
aopa.org/ft/diagramming-turns
AOPA.ORG/FT  37


http://www.aopa.org/ft/diagramming-turns http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2019

Contents
Flight Training - July 2019 - Intro
Flight Training - July 2019 - Cover1
Flight Training - July 2019 - Cover2
Flight Training - July 2019 - Contents
Flight Training - July 2019 - 2
Flight Training - July 2019 - 3
Flight Training - July 2019 - 4
Flight Training - July 2019 - 5
Flight Training - July 2019 - 6
Flight Training - July 2019 - 7
Flight Training - July 2019 - 8
Flight Training - July 2019 - 9
Flight Training - July 2019 - 10
Flight Training - July 2019 - 11
Flight Training - July 2019 - 12
Flight Training - July 2019 - 13
Flight Training - July 2019 - 14
Flight Training - July 2019 - 15
Flight Training - July 2019 - 16
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Flight Training - July 2019 - 18
Flight Training - July 2019 - 19
Flight Training - July 2019 - 20
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Flight Training - July 2019 - 41
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Flight Training - July 2019 - Cover3
Flight Training - July 2019 - Cover4
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