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Commercial pilot · ACS CA.V.E · lesson pack

Eights on Pylons

Why this one matters

Eights on pylons are flown low, near pivotal altitude (often 700 to 1,000 feet AGL), with attention outside. Pilots who fixate on the pylon can skid with rudder, lose airspeed or miss traffic and towers. The maneuver trains the opposite: coordinated control with eyes outside, close to the ground.

1 · Know these cold

  • •The purpose: dividing attention between precise, coordinated control and outside references, while the wind keeps changing the picture.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • •Pivotal altitude depends on groundspeed, not bank: about groundspeed squared divided by 11.3 (knots) or 15 (mph), in feet above the pylon; add the pylon's elevation for the altimeter reading. Work out the upwind, downwind and crosswind values before you fly.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • •Groundspeed is highest downwind, so the pivotal altitude is highest there; climb and descend as groundspeed changes.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • •Fore-and-aft drift of the pylon is corrected with altitude, never rudder: pylon ahead of the reference line means you're above pivotal altitude, so descend; behind means below, so climb. Bank is set by your distance from the pylon (steepest when closest, never more than 40°).(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • •Pick two prominent pylons on a line roughly perpendicular to the wind, far enough apart for 3 to 5 seconds of straight flight between turns. Enter diagonally crosswind between them to a point downwind of the first, so the first turn is into the wind.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • •Bank no more than 40°; it is steepest when you're closest to the pylon. Check the pivotal altitudes against 91.119: a strong wind can put the upwind one below 500 feet AGL (65 knots groundspeed is about 374 feet), so move the maneuver or don't fly it.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.E.S5; 14 CFR 91.119)
  • •At these low altitudes, always have a forced-landing field in mind.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

2 · The lesson

Pivotal altitude
  • At the pivotal altitude, a line of sight from the airplane to the pylon appears to pivot on the pylon. It depends on groundspeed only, not bank angle.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Approximate it as groundspeed squared divided by 11.3 (in knots) or by 15 (in mph), in feet above the ground: about 885 feet AGL at 100 knots.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Higher groundspeed means higher pivotal altitude: downwind you climb, upwind you descend.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Correct with altitude, not rudder: pylon ahead of the reference line means you're too high, so descend; behind means too low, so climb.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
Wind and the phases
  • Pick pylons prominent enough to keep in sight while you move between turns, on a line roughly perpendicular to the wind, at the same elevation, with forced-landing areas nearby and away from congested areas.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Enter diagonally crosswind between the pylons to a point downwind of the first, at about pivotal altitude and at or below VA (or the recommended entry speed), so the first turn is into the wind, starting when the pylon appears just ahead of the reference line.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Turn around the first pylon, fly straight and level briefly between pylons (crabbing for wind), then turn the opposite way around the second.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Recover when the specified number of eights are complete, exiting on the entry heading.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
Coordination
  • The reference is a line from your eye parallel to the airplane's lateral axis; where it falls relative to the wingtip depends on the airplane, the wing, your seat and you, so find your own. Momentary lag or lead of the line, or vertical displacement, is fixed with small bank changes (less bank brings a lagging line forward, more bank turns back one that has moved ahead). Keep the ball centered.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • Using rudder to swing the nose and "hold" the pylon makes a skid: the classic low-altitude stall-spin setup.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
Energy and emergencies
  • Climbing downwind and descending upwind trades airspeed for altitude: adjust power as needed, especially adding it when climbing back to pivotal altitude, to keep a safe maneuvering speed and stall margin while banked low to the ground.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ground Reference Maneuvers)
  • You're low the whole time: know where you'd land if the engine quit, and keep obstacles (towers, wires) in mind.(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)
  • You're near pivotal altitude, often under 1,000 feet AGL: clear carefully, avoid populated areas and obstacles, and keep a landing field in mind.(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))

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Determine the approximate pivotal altitude; select suitable pylons; enter in the correct direction and position.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.E.S2-S4)
  • Bank appropriate for the conditions, not more than 40°; keep the line-of-sight reference on the pylon with smooth, coordinated corrections at the pivotal altitude, without slips or skids.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.E.S5-S8)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches the pivotal-altitude estimate, pylon choice relative to the wind, a diagonal downwind entry, corrections made with altitude rather than rudder, the ball centered, bank within 40°, and constant awareness of traffic and a landing spot.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “How do you estimate the pivotal altitude?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why does the pivotal altitude change during the maneuver?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “Turning downwind, the pylon slides behind your wingtip reference. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Using rudder to hold the pylon.

    It creates a skid, the stall-spin setup.

    Instead: Correct with altitude; keep the ball centered.

  • Holding one altitude.

    The pivotal altitude changes with groundspeed.

    Instead: Climb downwind, descend upwind as the pylon tells you.

  • Poor pylon choice.

    Pylons too close or along the wind make the maneuver impossible to fly well.

    Instead: Pick them perpendicular to the wind with room for straight flight between.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. What determines pivotal altitude?

  2. 2. About what is the pivotal altitude at 100 knots groundspeed?

  3. 3. The pylon moves ahead of the reference line. Are you high or low?

  4. 4. What is the maximum bank?

  5. Scenario5. You notice you're skidding to hold the pylon. What do you change?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice eights on pylons out loud with our examiner.

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Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); AC 90-48; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B); Your airplane's POH/AFM; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C). Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.