How many degrees should a clearing turn be?

At least **90 degrees** in each direction, though many pilots and instructors prefer a full **180 degrees** each way. The key is covering enough arc to scan all the sky your wings were blocking.

Do I need to do clearing turns before every maneuver on a checkride?

Yes. The Airman Certification Standards require clearing turns before each practice maneuver, and the examiner will evaluate whether you're scanning with genuine purpose before every one.

What if I clear the area but then take a while to set up the maneuver?

If your setup takes more than a few seconds, your clearing is stale. At 120 knots, another aircraft covers two miles per minute. Clear again before beginning the maneuver.

Should I do clearing turns in the traffic pattern?

Formal clearing turns aren't standard in the pattern, but the scanning habit they build absolutely applies. Maintain constant visual awareness for unexpected traffic entries and straight-in approaches.

What's the biggest mistake students make during clearing turns?

Watching the instruments instead of looking outside. If your eyes are on the panel during the turns, you haven't cleared anything regardless of how precise the turn was.

Clearing turns and the two three-sixty degree scans that keep you alive before every practice maneuver

Clearing turns are two scanning turns—at least 90 degrees in each direction—performed before every practice maneuver to visually confirm the surrounding airspace is free of traffic. They are required by the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and serve as your primary tool for taking ownership of the sky you’re about to use. Done correctly, they take about 30 seconds and can prevent a midair collision.

Why Do Clearing Turns Matter?

When you’re practicing steep turns, stalls, or slow flight, you become unpredictable to other traffic. You’re changing altitude, bank angle, and airspeed—not flying a straight, predictable path. Other pilots can’t anticipate your next move.

The practice area compounds the risk. Your instructor chose that area because it’s a good spot, and every other instructor in the region had the same idea. Multiple aircraft maneuvering in the same block of airspace is the norm, not the exception.

What Are Clearing Turns Actually For?

The purpose of a clearing turn is not to spin the airplane around. It’s to move your eyes across every sector of sky that your wings were blocking.

In straight-and-level flight, your wings obstruct a large portion of your view below the horizon on both sides. A turn raises one wing and lets you look underneath it. That’s the entire point—exposing the blind spots your aircraft’s structure creates.

How to Perform Clearing Turns Effectively

Step 1: Stabilize first. Pick your altitude and heading. Do not begin clearing turns while still climbing or descending to your practice altitude. Get there, trim the airplane, then begin.

Step 2: Turn at least 90 degrees in one direction. Some pilots do a full 180. Either works, as long as you are genuinely scanning outside. Start near the nose, work your eyes outward along the horizon, check above and below your flight path. Look for wings catching sunlight. Look for movement against the background.

Step 3: Turn at least 90 degrees the other way and repeat the same methodical scan.

Step 4: Configure quickly and begin your maneuver. The clearing is only valid if you act on it promptly.

A critical detection tip: an airplane five miles away appears as a tiny dot that doesn’t move relative to the horizon. That lack of apparent motion means it’s on a collision course with you. Train your eyes to spot what isn’t moving.

What Are the Most Common Clearing Turn Mistakes?

Eyes on the instruments. Students often watch heading, altitude, and bank angle to make the turns “perfect.” But if you spent 80 percent of the time staring at the panel, you didn’t clear anything. The entire purpose is to look outside.

Stale clearing. Completing the turns and then spending two minutes configuring for the maneuver defeats the purpose. An airplane at 120 knots covers two miles in one minute. If you took 90 seconds to set up, traffic that wasn’t there when you cleared could now be directly in your path. Clear, configure quickly, and begin.

What Does the Examiner Want to See on a Checkride?

The ACS requires clearing turns before every maneuver on the practical test. The designated pilot examiner (DPE) is evaluating three things:

Genuine scanning—not just cranking the airplane left and right
Efficiency—clearing without burning excessive time and fuel
Habit—consistent execution before every maneuver, not a one-time performance

How to Make Clearing Turns a Habit

Verbalize your scan every time you practice: “Clear left—scanning below, horizon, above. Clear right—same scan.” Speaking out loud forces your brain to process what your eyes are seeing rather than running through the motion passively.

When Else Should You Clear the Area?

Clearing turns aren’t only for the practice area. Any time you’re about to significantly change your flight path, scan the area first:

Setting up for a diversion — clear before turning
Entering a descent — scan the airspace below
In the traffic pattern — the head-on-a-swivel habit built during clearing turns is what keeps you safe when someone enters from an unexpected direction or flies a long straight-in approach

Key Takeaways

Clearing turns expose the blind spots your wings create in straight-and-level flight—that’s their purpose, not the turn itself
Stabilize at your practice altitude first, then clear, then configure and begin your maneuver quickly
Keep your eyes outside during clearing turns; watching the instruments defeats the entire exercise
Stale clearing is no clearing—if setup takes more than a few seconds after your turns, clear again
Verbalize your scan during practice to build genuine awareness, not just mechanical habit

References: FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-6B)