Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Turns around a point

Asked by: 7247 views , ,
Student Pilot

While performing turns around a point, why must we crab into the wind? Shouldn't varying the angle of bank be sufficient to maintain a constant radius around the point?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Gary Moore on Aug 02, 2010

    It’s all about the airspeed…..

    From Chapter 6 of the Airplane Flying Handboook – FAA-H-8083-3A

    “The factors and principles of drift correction that are involved in S-turns are also applicable in this maneuver. As in other ground track maneuvers, a constant
    radius around a point will, if any wind exists, require a constantly changing angle of bank and angles of wind correction. The closer the airplane is to a direct downwind
    heading where the groundspeed is greatest, the steeper the bank and the faster the rate of turn required to establish the proper wind correction angle. The more nearly it is to a direct upwind heading where the groundspeed is least, the shallower the bank and the
    slower the rate of turn required to establish the proper wind correction angle. It follows, then, that throughout the maneuver the bank and rate of turn must be gradually varied in proportion to the groundspeed.”

    0 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 1 Votes



  2. Brian on Sep 18, 2010

    “It’s all about the airspeed…..”
     
    Groundspeed Gary. The pilots goal is to maintain a perfect circle with reference to the ground, hence we follow groundspeed. If the pilot wished to make a perfect circle with reference to the airmass then airspeed would be of concern.
     
    “Shouldn’t varying the angle of bank be sufficient to maintain a constant radius around the point?”
    Yes. However, you might consider that by varying your bank angle you thereby change your crab angle. I doubt this helps you with your confusion though. It sounds like your conceptual understanding of an aircrafts movement within an airmass needs some work.
    I would recommend really digging into the chapter 6 of the AFH that Gary quoted. If you feel like going the extra mile, go buy the book Stick and Rudder and read chapter 6. The chapter is devoted to understanding wind drift and, in my opinion, is one of the better guides out there.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 1 Votes


Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.