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

Steep Turns

Why this one matters

Steep turns live at high load factor, where the stall speed climbs and an uncoordinated pull can stall one wing first. Pilots get there in real life by tightening a turn to avoid traffic or to line up with a runway. Practicing them builds the coordination and attention split that keep a steep bank under control.

1 · Know these cold

  • •Enter at the POH recommended speed or, if none, at or below maneuvering speed (VA), which is lower at lighter weights.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.A.S2; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • •Roll into a coordinated 360° turn at about 50° of bank, then the same in the opposite direction.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.A.S3-S4)
  • •Load factor at 50° is about 1.56 G, raising the stall speed by about 25%: an accelerated stall can happen well above the normal stall speed.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • •Add back pressure and power as you roll in, generally before 30° of bank, to hold altitude from the start; hold some opposite aileron against the overbanking tendency. If you start descending, reduce the bank first, add power, then raise the nose with gentle back pressure.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • •More bank at the same speed means a higher rate of turn and a smaller radius.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • •Start the rollout half the bank angle (about 25° at 50°) before the entry heading. As the wings level, take off together the back pressure, the extra power and any nose-up trim you added, or you will climb.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • •Commercial standard: altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots, bank ±5°, rollout on the entry heading ±10°.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.A.S5)

2 · The lesson

Flying it
  • Clear the area, set the entry speed, pick a reference on the horizon for the entry heading.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Roll smoothly to about 50°, adding back pressure and power as the bank builds, generally before it reaches 30°, to hold altitude. Note the nose position on the horizon and hold it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Hold the bank with a little opposite aileron, keep coordinated with rudder, trim if it helps, and check altitude often.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
  • Lead the rollout by about half the bank angle (about 25°), release back pressure, reduce power and roll off any nose-up trim as you roll level, then reverse into the other direction.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers)
The aerodynamics
  • Load factor rises with bank: about 1.56 G at 50° and 2 G at 60°. Stall speed rises with the square root of load factor: about 25% at 50°, 41% at 60°.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Maneuvering speed (VA) is lower at lighter weights: work out the number before flight, VA at gross × √(actual weight ÷ gross weight). Above VA, a full or abrupt control input can overstress the airplane before it stalls.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Overbanking tendency: in a steep turn the outer wing moves faster and makes more lift, so the bank tends to increase; hold some opposite aileron.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Rate of turn increases and radius decreases with more bank at the same speed; more speed at the same bank widens the turn.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
  • Coordination matters most here: a skid at high load factor can stall the lower wing first and roll the airplane into a spin.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight)
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)
  • The ACS sets no minimum altitude for steep turns, but finish (and any recovery) no lower than about 1,500 feet AGL, as the AFH recommends: enter well above it, away from terrain.(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

  • Approximately 50° of bank, ±5°; altitude ±100 feet; airspeed ±10 knots; roll out on the entry heading ±10°.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.V.A.S3, S5)

What your instructor is watching for

Your instructor watches the clearing turns, a smooth roll-in with back pressure and power added on time, a steady nose position on the horizon, bank held against overbanking, the ball centered, and a led rollout on heading.

3 · Say it out loud

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

  1. Remember Recall it

    “What bank angle and tolerances apply to the commercial steep turn?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why does the stall speed rise in a steep turn?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “Halfway around, you're 150 feet low and the bank has crept to 60°. What do you do?”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Losing altitude on entry.

    Back pressure and power came late.

    Instead: Start adding them as the bank builds, generally before 30°.

  • Letting the bank increase.

    The overbanking tendency at steep banks.

    Instead: Hold a little opposite aileron and watch the horizon.

  • Staring at the altimeter.

    Attitude drifts while you read instruments.

    Instead: Fly the nose on the horizon; glance in, then back out.

5 · Quick check

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

  1. 1. What is the load factor at 60° of bank in a level turn?

  2. 2. How does maneuvering speed change with weight?

  3. 3. What is the overbanking tendency?

  4. 4. When do you begin the rollout?

  5. Scenario5. The nose drops and you're descending in the turn. What do you fix first?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice steep turns out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Performance Maneuvers

A practice session: steep turns at 50°, a steep spiral, then chandelles.

What do the three have in common in load factor and energy, and what limits each? Decide, then see the worked answer

All three are about load factor and energy, but each trades it differently. The steep turn holds altitude, so you add power to hold airspeed against the extra drag; a level 50° bank is about 1.56 G, with the stall speed about 25% higher. The steep spiral is flown at idle, trading altitude for a constant gliding airspeed around a point at a constant radius, steepest bank when the groundspeed is highest (downwind), never more than 60°. Fly at least three 360° turns, finish no lower than 1,500 feet AGL unless it's an actual emergency landing, and clear the engine periodically with brief power so it stays warm and the plugs stay clean. The 60° figures (2 G, stall speed about 41% higher) are for a level turn; in the descending spiral the load is close to that but slightly less. The chandelle trades airspeed for altitude in a 180° climbing turn at a fixed power setting: about 30° of bank, entered at or below the recommended entry speed, never above VA. In the first 90° the bank stays constant and the pitch increases; in the second 90° the pitch stays constant and the bank comes out, rolling out at 180° ±10° just above the stall. Hold that attitude briefly, then lower the nose to regain airspeed without losing altitude. Coordination doesn't prevent an accelerated stall; only reducing the angle of attack and the load factor does. What coordination does is make a stall under load break evenly, not by one wing first.

Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area V; AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Performance Maneuvers; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Load Factor

Brings together: Steep Turns · Steep Spiral · Chandelles

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

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. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.