Coordinated Flight

Flying in Balance

When you bank with just the yoke, the airplane turns — but it can feel a little sideways and sloppy. Adding the right amount of rudder at the same time keeps everything smooth and balanced. That is coordinated flight.

Coordinated flight

Using aileron (yoke) and rudder (pedals) together so the airplane turns smoothly, with no sideways slipping or skidding.

The ball

A little ball in a curved tube at the bottom of your instruments. When the turn is balanced, the ball sits right in the middle.

Step on the ball

If the ball slides to one side, press the rudder pedal on that same side to nudge it back to center. Slides right? Press right.

The ball has a fancy name: the inclinometer. Here's why it matters — keeping it centered means your passengers won't feel that uncomfortable sideways slide, so nobody gets queasy on your flight!

Instructor Setup

Cessna 172 with G1000, trimmed in level cruise at 4,000 feet in clear airspace. Plan about 20 minutes. This slice is about adding rudder to turns to stay coordinated, using shallow-to-moderate banks — not steep turns.

Session Flow

1. Brief coordination (3 min). Show the ball on the PFD and explain "step on the ball." Hand over a stable, trimmed airplane.
2. Left turn with rudder (5 min). Student rolls into a left bank while adding a little left rudder. Watch the ball together and correct as needed.
3. Right turn with rudder (5 min). Repeat to the right with right rudder. Coach the yoke-and-rudder timing.
4. Ball-watching drill (5 min). Make a few turns in each direction with the goal of keeping the ball centered the whole time. Try a longer turn toward a 360.
5. Wrap (2 min). Recap coordination and "step on the ball," then preview the next lesson.

Reinforce that aileron and rudder move together. The goal is balanced turns with the ball staying centered.

Debrief

Talk through how the ball behaved and how the turns felt with rudder added.

• Used yoke and rudder together when starting a turn
• Made coordinated turns in both directions
• Watched the ball and kept it near the center
• Used "step on the ball" to fix coordination
• Understands why coordinated turns keep passengers comfortable

Next Lesson

Next up is "Steeper Turns" (K15): banking up to 30 degrees to turn faster, with extra back pressure to hold altitude. Smooth, coordinated turns today are the foundation for the steeper turns coming next.

Skills You'll Work On

These are the maneuvers and procedures covered in this lesson. Your instructor tracks each one as you progress.

• Medium Turns
• Revise Effects of Primary Controls
• Revise Attitude Selection & Maintenance

Grades reflect what was covered in this lesson, not a certification of pilot competency.

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: Second of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 5, "Turning." This slice adds rudder coordination to turns; K13 introduced shallow turns and K15 builds up to medium 30-degree turns.

Prerequisite

K13 "Your First Turn" — the student should be comfortable rolling into and out of shallow turns.

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator, student checklist card.

Goal for this session

Student uses rudder with aileron to make balanced turns while keeping the ball centered.

Looking Ahead

• K15 — Steeper Turns: 30-degree banks while holding altitude.
• K16 — Coming Down: controlled descents from cruise altitude.