\u201cOk, so let\u2019s do a turn around a point next.\u201d Common words I say to a student as an instructor and as a DPE examiner. This is most commonly followed by the student or applicant setting up at an altitude between 600 and 800 feet agl followed by turning left around a point they have chosen while they look out their window down at it.<\/p>\n
Well, that meets the requirements for the maneuver, but it isn\u2019t what most people would really use the maneuver for in real life. Not always at least.<\/p>\n
Of course, a pilot may want to look outside the window at something on the ground, but more commonly they are using a turn around a point to show a passenger something on the ground (commonly their house) or to allow someone to take pictures of something on the ground. This can be a bit awkward as your passenger leans across your lap as a pilot to shoot pictures out the left side window. What would work better, or just give your passenger a better view, is to make the turn to the right.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying that pilots can\u2019t do it, but it is less commonly practiced, and more practical in its application.<\/p>\n
All the same skills apply, all the same procedures are followed, but the view out the window is ever so slightly different and it can make it less comfortable for a pilot who hasn\u2019t practiced the turns that way in a while.<\/p>\n
So, I challenge all you instructors and pilots out there to make your next turns around a point to the right instead. In fact, on most flight reviews I conduct, that is exactly what I ask pilots to do. Many times I am asked, \u201cwhy?\u201d Because it is more realistic, that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cOk, so let\u2019s do a turn around a point next.\u201d Common words I say to a student as an instructor and as a DPE examiner. This is most commonly followed by the student or applicant setting up at an altitude … Continue reading