AFH 3-11

Level Turns A turn is initiated by banking the wings in the desired direction of the turn through the pilot’s use of the aileron flight controls. Left aileron flight control pressure causes the left wing to lower in relation to the pilot. Right aileron flight control pressure causes the right wing to lower in relation to the pilot. In other words, to turn left, the pilot lowers the left wing with aileron by left stick. To turn right, the pilot lowers the right wing with right stick. Depending on bank angle and airplane engineering, at many bank angles, the airplane will continue to turn with ailerons neutralized. The sequence could be as follows: 1. Bank the airplane, adding either enough power or pitching up to compensate for the loss of vertical lift. 2. Neutralize controls as necessary to stop bank from increasing and hold desired bank angle. 3. Use the opposite stick (aileron) to return airplane to level. 4. Neutralize the ailerons (along with either power or pitch reduction) for level flight. [Figure 3-10] Figure 3-10. Level turn to the left. A turn is the result of the following: ⦁ The ailerons bank the wings and determine the rate of turn for a given airspeed. Lift is divided into both vertical and horizontal lift components as a result of the bank. The horizontal component of lift moves the airplane toward the banked direction. ⦁ The elevator pitches the nose of the airplane up or down in relation to the pilot and perpendicular to the wings. If the pilot does not add power, and there is sufficient airspeed margin, the pilot needs to slightly increase the pitch to increase wing lift enough to replace the wing lift being diverted into turning force so as to maintain the current altitude. ⦁ The vertical fin on an airplane does not produce lift. Rather the vertical fin on an airplane is a stabilizing surface and produces no lift if the airplane is flying straight ahead. The vertical fin’s purpose is to keep the aft end of the airplane behind the front end. ⦁ The throttle provides thrust, which may be used for airspeed control and to vary the radius of the turn. ⦁ The pilot uses the rudder to offset any adverse yaw developed by wing’s differential lift and the engine/propeller. The rudder does not turn the airplane. The rudder is used to maintain coordinated flight.