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

Steep Spiral

Student pack: Train: Steep Spiral · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

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

Why it matters for safety: An engine failure high above a good field is wasted if the pilot glides away from it or arrives too high. The steep spiral teaches you to lose height over a point while keeping it in reach. It also trains watching airspeed and coordination in a long, nose-low, power-off turn.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Steep Spiral. A power-off descending spiral of at least three turns around a ground point, constant radius, bank no more than 60°.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/steep-spiral · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/steep-spiral

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

  • The purpose: losing altitude quickly while staying over a chosen spot, as you would to set up an emergency landing from high above a field.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Start high enough for at least three 360° turns and finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.B.S2, S6)
  • Clear the area and pick a point over an area where you could make an emergency landing; note your distance from it, which sets the radius. Throttle to idle, carburetor heat on if equipped (per the POH), glide at the specified speed ±10 knots, and keep that radius.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.B.S3, S6)
  • Vary the bank for wind: steepest with the tailwind (highest groundspeed), shallowest with the headwind, never more than 60°.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.B.S4)
  • A long idle glide can overcool the engine, foul the plugs or build carburetor ice: clear the engine periodically by advancing the throttle for a few seconds (preferably headed into the wind), adjusting pitch to hold the speed ±10 knots, watching cylinder head temperature if you have it, and following the POH.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers; Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Watch the airspeed: a nose-low spiral can pick up speed quickly; respect VNE and VA.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Roll out toward a chosen object or heading ±10°.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.B.S6)

Why, and the geometry

  • It's the way to descend from high above a forced-landing field while keeping it beneath you.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • A constant radius over the ground needs a varying bank: groundspeed is highest downwind, so the bank is steepest there and shallowest upwind.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Pick a point over a field suitable for an emergency landing (not just a prominent object), and enter on downwind so the first and steepest bank comes early.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.B.S3)

Limits

  • Wind changes with altitude; adjust the bank continuously to keep the radius.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Hold the specified glide speed; the nose-low attitude can let speed build toward VNE and above VA, so control pitch carefully and don't exceed 60° of bank.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • Clear the engine for a few seconds periodically, as the POH recommends, holding the airspeed while you do.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • The 1,500-foot floor is for training and the checkride. In a real engine failure over a field, keep spiraling below 1,500 feet and blend into a normal approach to land there; don't level off and abandon the field.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

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)
  • Finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL; the spiral descends quickly, so plan the starting altitude.(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 clearing, entry downwind, a constant radius with bank varied for wind, airspeed held, engine cleared, coordination, and the rollout on the chosen heading above 1,500 AGL.

4 · Ask your student

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

  1. Recall · What is the maximum bank in the steep spiral, and the lowest completion altitude?

    A strong answer: No more than 60° of bank; finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL.

  2. Understand · Why is the bank steepest with the wind behind you?

    A strong answer: Groundspeed is highest downwind, so you need more bank to turn fast enough to keep the same radius over the ground.

  3. Apply · Your engine quits at 4,500 feet AGL directly over a long field. How do you use this maneuver?

    A strong answer: Establish best glide, spiral down over the field keeping it in reach, then fly a normal pattern from about pattern altitude to the landing.

Scenarios to talk through

  • On the second turn the airspeed is 15 knots above the specified speed. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Shallow the bank while smoothly raising the nose back to the glide attitude, coordinated. Raising it with elevator alone in a steep bank tightens the spiral, raises the load factor and the stall speed, and risks an accelerated stall. Anticipate the speed build as you steepen downwind.

  • The radius grows on the upwind side. What's the correction?

    Sound decision: Where the track bulges outward, the bank there is too shallow for the groundspeed there: steepen it at that point. Where the radius shrinks, it's too steep: shallow it. Overall, steepest downwind (highest groundspeed), shallowest upwind.

  • After three turns you're at 1,400 feet AGL. What does that mean for the maneuver?

    Sound decision: You've broken the 1,500-foot floor, which is unsatisfactory on the checkride. Plan the entry altitude so three full turns end above 1,500 feet AGL.

5 · Common student errors

  • A constant bank.

    Why it matters: The wind drifts the circle and the radius changes.

    How to correct it: Steepest downwind, shallowest upwind.

  • Ignoring airspeed.

    Why it matters: Speed builds in the nose-low turn.

    How to correct it: Hold the pitch for the specified speed and check it every turn.

  • Forgetting to clear the engine, or the carburetor heat.

    Why it matters: Long idle descents overcool the engine, foul plugs and can build carburetor ice.

    How to correct it: Carb heat on at entry if equipped; clear the engine for a few seconds periodically, per the POH.

6 · Completion standard

  • At least three 360° turns, constant radius, bank not more than 60° at the steepest point.
  • Specified airspeed ±10 knots; roll out toward an object or heading ±10°; complete 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.B: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.V.B

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
  • Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
  • Airman Certification Standards, task CA.V.B

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Steep Spiral 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.