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Commercial pilot · ACS CA.V.D · Instructor lesson plan

Lazy Eights

Student pack: Train: Lazy Eights · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain lazy eights in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for CA.V.D.

Why it matters for safety: Lazy eights train coordination at every combination of airspeed and bank, including low speed in a climbing turn where an uncoordinated pull can stall a wing. The habit they build, smooth anticipation and a centered ball while everything changes, is what keeps a pilot in control in a busy, maneuvering approach.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Lazy Eights. Two symmetrical climbing and descending 180° turns, constantly changing pitch, bank and airspeed, back to entry altitude and speed.

Anyone can open this link, no account needed. To see who trained it on your roster, use a free instructor account.

Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/lazy-eights · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/lazy-eights

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

  • The purpose: coordination at constantly changing airspeed, pitch and bank, and planning ahead through a long maneuver.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Clear the area and keep the whole maneuver at or above 1,500 feet AGL; enter clean, at the manufacturer's recommended power and speed, no faster than VA (or VO) for your actual weight.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.D.S2-S3)
  • Reference points at 45°, 90° and 135°, a symmetrical set: maximum pitch up at 45° with about 15° of bank; at 90°, the nose passing through level, about 30° of bank and minimum speed (about 5 to 10 knots above the stall); maximum pitch down at 135° with about 15° of bank; wings level at entry speed and altitude at 180°.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Pitch, bank and airspeed change constantly: no straight or level moments except the 180° points.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.D.S5)
  • At each 180° point: altitude ±100 feet of entry, airspeed ±10 knots of entry, and heading ±10° of the reciprocal of the entry heading.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.D.S5)
  • Rudder changes constantly with speed, power and roll direction: rolling right at low speed, adverse yaw adds to P-factor, so a lot of right rudder; rolling left, they partly cancel. Fly the ball in each half.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Fly the specified number of symmetrical loops, then resume straight-and-level.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.D.S6)

The phases

  • Entry: level, at the recommended speed and power, on a heading with prominent horizon references at 45°, 90° and 135° for each 180° turn, and a new set for the turn the other way. Use the wind and references so you don't drift out of the cleared area.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • 0° to 45°: begin a climbing turn, pitch increasing faster than bank; maximum pitch up at 45° with bank about 15°.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • 45° to 90°: pitch decreasing, bank increasing; at 90° the nose crosses the horizon at about 30° of bank and minimum airspeed. There the overbanking tendency may need a little opposite aileron to hold 30°, while you keep rudder against the left-turning tendencies.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • 90° to 135°: descending turn, bank decreasing, maximum pitch down at 135°.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • 135° to 180°: roll out and raise the nose to arrive level at the entry altitude and speed, then begin the turn the other way.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)

Coordination and limits

  • Rudder pressure changes continuously with airspeed, power and roll direction; fly the ball rather than a memorized pressure.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Enter at or below VA (lower at lighter weights) and use smooth control pressures; abrupt pulls near the top risk an accelerated stall.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Power stays set once established; altitude and airspeed return to entry values at each 180° point if pitch and bank are symmetrical.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)

Energy

  • Each half trades speed for height and back again; a symmetrical lazy eight returns to the same energy at each 180° point.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Ending high and slow, or low and fast, means the climb and descent weren't symmetrical; adjust pitch rates on the next loop.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)

Doing it safely

  • Clear the area with clearing turns before every maneuver, and keep scanning: you're turning, climbing and descending through other airplanes' airspace.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
  • Keep the whole maneuver at or above 1,500 feet AGL.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Divide attention: outside references for attitude and orientation, quick glances inside for altitude and airspeed. Fixating on one instrument is how errors grow.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
  • Keep the ball centered. Uncoordinated flight at high angles of attack is the setup for an accelerated or cross-controlled stall and a spin.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Distraction, poor task priorities, lost situational awareness and disorientation: fly the airplane first, re-establish orientation on outside references and the instruments, and abandon the maneuver if you lose it.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches the reference points, a nose that never stops moving, the bank peaking at the 90° point, rudder changing with speed, and altitude, speed and heading back within tolerance at each 180° point.

4 · Ask your student

In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.

  1. Recall · Where is the bank steepest in a lazy eight, and about how steep?

    A strong answer: At the 90° point, about 30°.

  2. Understand · Why must the rudder pressure keep changing?

    A strong answer: Airspeed and the angle of attack change constantly, so the left-turning tendencies and adverse yaw change too; rudder has to follow to keep the ball centered.

  3. Apply · After the first 180° you're 150 feet high and 15 knots slow. What do you change?

    A strong answer: I pitched up too much in the climb or not enough in the descent. Use a smaller pitch-up and a fuller pitch-down on the next loop to come back to entry altitude and speed.

Scenarios to talk through

  • At the 90° point the nose is still above the horizon. What does that mean?

    Sound decision: The pitch came down too slowly; at 90° the nose should be crossing the horizon at about 30° of bank and minimum speed.

  • You hold the wings level briefly at the 180° point before reversing. Is that right?

    Sound decision: Only for an instant: wings-level level flight exists only at each 180° point, and the next turn begins immediately. (At 90° the pitch passes through level, but you're banked about 30°.)

  • A stall buffet near the top of a right lazy eight. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Reduce the angle of attack first (relax back pressure, lower the nose), keep the ball centered with whatever rudder it calls for (not automatic right rudder: in a right turn at the top that can skid you at high angle of attack), then abandon the loop, restart, and use a shallower maximum pitch-up.

5 · Common student errors

  • Pausing the pitch or bank.

    Why it matters: The maneuver is a continuous change.

    How to correct it: Keep the nose moving through the reference points.

  • Asymmetrical loops.

    Why it matters: Altitude and speed won't return to entry values.

    How to correct it: Mirror the pitch and bank rates in the climb and descent.

  • Not adjusting rudder.

    Why it matters: Slips and skids as speed changes.

    How to correct it: Watch the ball, especially at the low-speed top.

6 · Completion standard

  • About 30° of bank at the steepest point; constant change of pitch, roll rate and airspeed; coordinated throughout.
  • At each 180° point: altitude ±100 feet and airspeed ±10 knots of entry, heading ±10° of the reciprocal of the entry heading; no lower than 1,500 feet AGL.
  • Your student answers each "Ask your student" question in their own words, up to the Apply level, without prompting.
  • They talk through the scenarios and reach a safe, legal decision, explaining why.
  • They complete the pack’s quick check and can say what they flagged.

Area trained? Close out with a practice oral focused on CA.V.D: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.V.D

7 · References

  • Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers; Ground Reference Maneuvers
  • Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight
  • AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance
  • Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area V
  • Your airplane's POH/AFM, speeds and limitations
  • Airman Certification Standards, task CA.V.D

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Lazy Eights lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-13). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.