Slow Turns

Why Turning Slow Is Harder

When you bank the wings to turn, they have to make more lift to hold you up. Making more lift while you are already slow is hard work for the wings, so the airplane can stall more easily in a turn.

Bank Angle

How much you tilt the wings. In slow flight we keep it shallow — about 15 degrees — so the wings don't have to work too hard.

Stall Speed in a Turn

The speed where the wing gives up goes up when you turn. The steeper the bank, the higher it climbs.

Power in a Turn

A little extra throttle helps the wings make the extra lift a turn needs, so your speed stays safe.

Here's a number that surprises pilots: in a gentle 30-degree bank, the speed where the wing stalls goes up about 7 percent. In a steep 60-degree bank it jumps about 41 percent! That is why we keep our slow-flight turns nice and shallow.

Instructor Setup

Cessna 172 with G1000, airborne at 4,000 feet, set up in slow flight at about 55 knots with flaps 10. Plan about 20 minutes. Confirm a HELL check and clearing turn before maneuvering.

Session Flow

1. Brief and re-establish slow flight (4 min). Settle at 55 knots. Explain why turning slow raises stall speed in simple terms.
2. Gentle left turn (5 min). Coach a shallow 15-degree bank with a touch of added power. Watch the airspeed stays at or above 50 knots.
3. Gentle right turn (5 min). Roll wings level, then turn the other way with the same shallow bank and power.
4. Keep the horn quiet (4 min). Repeat gentle turns while the student keeps the speed up and the stall warning silent.
5. Wrap (2 min). Return to cruise and recap.

Keep banks shallow and add power early. If the airspeed sags toward the horn, have the student roll wings level and add power before trying again.

Debrief

Confirm the student can turn both ways in slow flight without letting the airplane get too slow.

• Held slow flight at about 55 knots before turning
• Used a shallow 15-degree bank for the turns
• Added a little power to support the turn
• Kept the airspeed up and the stall warning quiet

Next Lesson

Next up is "What Is a Stall?" (K22): the science of why a wing stops flying — it's all about the angle of the wing against the air. If managing power in the turn was tricky today, review it in the first two minutes of K22.

Skills You'll Work On

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

• Slow Flight (With & Without Flaps)
• Use of Trim Flaps Mixture Carb Heat

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

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: Third of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 7, "Slow Flight." This session adds gentle turns while flying slowly; K19 introduced slow flight and K20 covered the buffet and stall warning.

Prerequisite

K20 "On the Edge" — recognizes the buffet and stall warning and recovers with power.

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator, student checklist card, headset sized for the student.

Goal for this session

Student can perform gentle turns in slow flight using shallow bank and a little added power while keeping the speed safe.

Looking Ahead

• K22 — What Is a Stall?: angle of attack and why a wing quits flying.
• K23 — Power-Off Stall: the stall that can happen on a landing approach, and how to recover.