Steep turns on the checkride and the altitude loss that happens in the first five seconds
Fix the altitude loss in steep turns by adding back pressure during the roll-in, not after you reach 45 degrees of bank.
The most common reason pilots lose altitude in steep turns is timing. They roll to 45 degrees of bank and then add back pressure — but by that point, they’ve already lost 40 to 60 feet. The fix is simple: start increasing back pressure as you roll in, not after. Coordinate the two movements so that by the time you reach 45 degrees, the extra back pressure is already in place.
Why Do Steep Turns Cause So Much Altitude Loss?
At 45 degrees of bank, part of your lift vector tilts sideways to turn the airplane. The result is that you need roughly 41 percent more lift just to maintain level flight. Your airplane has to work significantly harder, and if you don’t compensate immediately, you descend.
The Airman Certification Standards require you to hold altitude within 100 feet, maintain bank at 45 degrees plus or minus 5, and roll out within 10 degrees of your entry heading. On paper, that sounds manageable. In practice, almost every altitude bust happens in the first few seconds of the maneuver.
How Do I Prevent Altitude Loss During the Roll-In?
The key is treating the roll and the back pressure as a single, coordinated movement. As bank angle increases, back pressure increases proportionally. By the time you hit 45 degrees, you should already be holding the additional back pressure needed to maintain altitude. Done correctly, your altimeter barely moves.
A smooth, decisive roll-in — roughly three to four seconds — also helps. A slow, tentative entry keeps you in the transition zone longer, giving you more time to fall behind. Smooth does not mean slow. Smooth means coordinated and deliberate.
What Should I Be Looking At During the Turn?
Fixating on the altimeter is one of the most common mistakes. Pilots stare at the altitude readout, their bank creeps past 45 degrees, they don’t add enough back pressure to compensate, and everything unravels.
Your scan should cycle through three references:
- Nose position relative to the horizon — this is your primary altitude reference, not the altimeter
- Bank angle on the attitude indicator
- Altimeter for confirmation
Keep that triangle moving: nose, bank, altitude.
A useful visual cue: in a left steep turn, the point where the cowling meets the horizon will sit slightly higher than in straight-and-level flight due to the increased angle of attack. If that point starts dropping, your altitude is about to follow. Catching it at the horizon means you’ll never have to chase the needle.
Should I Use Trim in a Steep Turn?
This is debated among instructors. If you can manage the back pressure comfortably without trim, there’s no need to add it. But if you’re fighting the yoke and your altitude is wandering as a result, a small amount of nose-up trim can reduce the workload and let you focus on bank angle and scanning.
The catch: if you trim nose-up in the turn, you must relax that trim as you roll out. Otherwise, the nose pitches up and you balloon 50 to 70 feet above your target altitude on the recovery. The examiner watches the rollout just as closely as the entry.
How Do I Nail the Rollout?
Start rolling out before reaching your entry heading. A reliable rule of thumb is half your bank angle — at 45 degrees of bank, begin the rollout approximately 20 to 22 degrees early. Entering on north, that means starting your rollout around a heading of 340 degrees.
The rollout requires the same coordination as the entry, but in reverse. As bank decreases, back pressure decreases proportionally. By the time you’re wings level, you should be back to normal straight-and-level pressure. If you don’t release that back pressure as the bank comes off, the full lift vector points straight up and you’ll gain 50 to 70 feet — busting tolerances on the recovery after holding them through the entire turn.
The exact lead varies by airplane. A Cessna 172 may need slightly less lead; a Piper Cherokee may need slightly more. Practice is the only way to calibrate.
What About Airspeed and Power?
Adding back pressure increases angle of attack, which increases drag. Without a small power addition, airspeed decays through the turn. In most training airplanes, adding 100 to 200 RPM on entry keeps airspeed stable. Remove the extra power as you roll out.
This matters for stall margin. At 45 degrees of bank, stall speed increases by approximately 19 percent. A Cessna 172 that normally stalls around 48 knots will stall closer to 57 knots in a steep turn. Enter at the recommended maneuvering speed or a reasonable cruise speed and you’ll have adequate margin — but don’t let airspeed bleed off unmonitored.
How Should I Set Up Before the Maneuver?
The clearing turns required before any checkride maneuver are also your setup opportunity. Use them to:
- Note your entry heading, altitude, and airspeed
- Pick a reference point on the horizon — a landmark, a road, anything identifiable
- Get the airplane trimmed and stabilized in straight-and-level flight
Rushing from clearing turns directly into the steep turn means starting from behind. Take an extra moment to get settled.
What About Coordination?
A slipping or skidding steep turn is a problem even if altitude is perfect. In a left steep turn, you’ll often need a touch of right rudder to stay coordinated due to overbanking tendency and adverse yaw. The inclinometer should stay centered throughout the maneuver. If the ball is displaced, the turn isn’t clean, and the examiner will notice.
What Is the Examiner Actually Looking For?
Steep turns test your ability to divide attention and manage multiple tasks while the airplane is in a demanding configuration. The examiner wants to see coordination, smoothness, and situational awareness — not perfection.
A 50-foot altitude loss that you catch and correct in two seconds demonstrates better airmanship than white-knuckling through a turn that happens to stay on altitude by luck. Small corrections, caught early, are exactly what earns a pass.
Practice both directions. Most pilots find one direction easier than the other, usually based on seating position and which hand is on the yoke. Whichever direction is harder, practice it twice as much.
The Complete Sequence
- Establish straight-and-level flight, trimmed and stable
- Note heading, altitude, and airspeed; pick a horizon reference
- Clear the area with two 90-degree turns or one 180-degree turn
- Make a smooth, coordinated roll to 45 degrees while simultaneously adding back pressure and a touch of power
- Establish your scan: nose, bank, altitude
- Approximately 20 degrees before your entry heading, begin a smooth rollout — relaxing back pressure and removing extra power as bank decreases
- Wings level on heading, altitude, and airspeed
- Repeat in the opposite direction
Key Takeaways
- Add back pressure during the roll-in, not after — the first five seconds are where most altitude is lost
- Scan a triangle: nose position, bank angle, altimeter — never fixate on one instrument
- Begin rollout approximately 20 degrees early (half your bank angle) and release back pressure proportionally as the bank decreases
- Add 100–200 RPM on entry to prevent airspeed decay and maintain stall margin
- Practice both directions, and give extra reps to whichever turn is harder for you
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