Why is as important as how

After establishing straight-and-level flight at an appropriate airspeed, roll directly from wings-level to 45 degrees of bank, while simultaneously spinning the elevator trim up one and a half or two turns and pushing in the throttle to add 100 to 200 rpm. Watch the airplane turn, and when it’s time to roll out, reverse the process.

With practice, most pilots can follow that procedure to fly a by-the-book steep turn, completing a level, 360-degree turn at a bank angle of 45 degrees, while maintaining altitude within 100 feet and rolling out on the entry heading within 10 degrees (at the private pilot level). And the airman certification standards don’t require or prohibit the use of trim during steep turns.

But that mechanical technique confuses the purpose of the maneuver with the standard by which it is evaluated. Learning a rote procedure isn’t the best way to understand and master steep turns—or any other task in the ACS. For example, we don’t practice stalls so that we can perform “ACS stalls” on a practical test. Instead, we want to learn about situations that can lead to stalls, recognize the signs of an impending stall, and apply the correct control inputs to avoid the leading cause of loss of control.

The Airplane Flying Handbook explains the purpose of steep turns this way:

“The objective of the steep turn is to develop a pilot’s skill in flight control smoothness and coordination, an awareness of the airplane’s orientation to outside references, division of attention between flight control applications, and the constant need to scan for hazards and other traffic in the area.”

More specifically, steep turns help you understand:

• Higher G forces experienced during a turn.
• An airplane’s inherent overbanking tendency when the bank angle exceeds 30 degrees.
• Significant loss of the vertical component of lift when the wings are steeply banked.
• Substantial pitch control pressures.
• The need for additional power to maintain airspeed during the turn.

With those goals in mind, I teach an incremental approach to steep turns. First, perform a pre-maneuver check of the aircraft, select an appropriate operating area, and complete clearing turns. Then, in an airplane like a Cessna 172, establish straight-and-level flight at 90 knots, flaps up. That setup typically requires about 2,000 rpm. Although you’re starting on a specific heading, at this point don’t worry about trying to complete the maneuver on that reference.

Clear the area in the direction you want to turn and smoothly roll into a 20-degree bank. Continue that shallow bank as you observe and hold the slight pitch up required to maintain altitude—without adding trim. You may need to push the throttle in a bit—usually not more than about 50 rpm—to maintain airspeed. Continue the turn using 20 degrees of bank through 90, 180, or even 360 degrees to “get the picture” while looking for traffic, monitoring the airplane, and noting your progress through the turn.

Next—without returning to wings-level—smoothly steepen the bank angle to 30 degrees. Note the slight additional back-pressure required—without using trim—to maintain altitude as the bank angle and load factor increase. Add power as necessary, perhaps another 50 rpm. Stay at that bank angle until you can observe and consistently hold the new pitch attitude.

When you’re ready to try a “real” steep turn—again, without rolling back to wings level—smoothly increase the bank angle to 45 degrees. As before, add back-pressure without using trim to establish the pitch attitude required to hold altitude. Smoothly increase power as needed. Practice decreasing and increasing the bank angle plus or minus 5 degrees to vary the lift vector and maintain altitude. Note the pitch attitude and power setting required to fly level at 45 degrees of bank. You’ll find that you’re flying a steep turn within standards without all the fuss typically associated with the maneuver, and you’ll have time to meet the other goals of the maneuver, such as looking for traffic.

To roll out of a steep turn, reverse the process. Smoothly reduce the bank angle from 45 to 30 degrees, then to 20 degrees, and finally to wings-level, while decreasing pitch and power to maintain altitude and airspeed. At first, don’t obsess about ending on a specific heading. Focus instead on the sight picture, power settings, and the feel of the control pressures as you return to wings-level flight.

After practicing this incremental technique a few times, you can go directly from straight-and-level to 30 degrees of bank or all the way to 45 degrees, because you know the pitch and power targets. And you’ll be able to anticipate smoothly rolling out of steep turns on the starting heading, without ballooning or accelerating.

If sustained turns make you woozy, take breaks before transitioning from shallow banks to the ACS standard of 45 degrees (or 50 degrees for commercial maneuvers).

Pilots find this approach to steep turns helps them quickly master the maneuver, regardless of the type of aircraft. Because the changes in pitch and power are incremental, steep turns don’t feel rushed, and the gradually increasing control forces are easy to manage without trim.

Most important, they understand the purpose of practicing steep turns.

Bruce Williams is a flight instructor in Seattle, Washington.