Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

Steep Spiral

Asked by: 3726 views , , ,
Commercial Pilot

i just had a few questions about the steep spiral on the commercial test. The examiner wants the bank to be steep like 45-55 degrees and whenever I try and achieve that kind of bank I just turn right over the point and then lose it (low wing plane) until I can maybe see it later in the turn... are there any suggestions on how to best enter this maneuver to always keep the point in view and off of my wing? I can do it easily if I use less bank but they want a steeper bank. Maybe I should be farther away? I'm about 1/4 mile away now. Any suggestions?

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.

4 Answers



  1. R. Anderson on Jun 20, 2017

    From the FAA “Airplane Flying Handbook,” page 9-4.

    “The gliding spiral should be a turn
    of constant radius while maintaining the airplane’s position
    to the reference. This can only be accomplished by proper
    correction for wind drift by steepening the bank on downwind
    headings and shallowing the bank on upwind headings, just
    as in the maneuver, turns around a point.”

    So, based on your question, you may not be considering the wind. Similar to “turns about a point,” which you probably did during your Private Pilot training, make certain that your bank angle is steepest downwind and shallows out turning into the wind. Also, ensure that you are maintaining a constant airspeed during the maneuver.

    Hope this helps.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. priceisright on Jun 20, 2017

    I can do the maneuver just fine but I cant do it with bank over 45 degrees which is what the examiner wants.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. R. Anderson on Jun 20, 2017

    I would just keep practicing, it can be done. The Airman Certification Standards (old PTS) just says max bank should not exceed 60 degrees. However, I would expect an examiner would want at least 45 – 55 degrees at the maximum point in the maneuver (downwind)

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes

  4. Best Answer


    HardLandings on Jun 23, 2017

    I recently had to do a lot of steep spirals, and a lot of the CFIs out there are teaching them really tame, 30 degress max bank. Sounds to me like you probably have the point whenever you are facing it, but you lose it when it is behind you (under the seats, as it were). If this is the issue, then try doing the maneuver almost directly over the point, instead of from a quarter mile away and see what that gets you. Slowly move away from the point if you need to.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

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.