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Steep Turns And Mags

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A discussion on airplane turning mechanics highlights a debate between horizontal lift as the primary turning force in level flight (journal's stance) and pitch control as crucial for tighter or extreme maneuvers (reader's argument).
  • In-flight magneto checks, performed at altitude and lean of peak, are emphasized as a highly valuable diagnostic tool for identifying subtle spark plug issues not detectable during ground checks.
  • The article clarifies the distinction between RNAV Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) altitudes, which are operationally usable for descent upon sector clearance, and Minimum Safe Altitudes (MSA), which are not without specific segment clearance.
See a mistake? Contact us.

enjoy reading your journal. I just read your article, “Steep Turns,” in the September issue. Although it is well-written, I have an issue about the description that the horizontal lift component “actually” turns an airplane on page 9. 

As written in “Emergency Maneuver Training” by Rich Stowell, the primary turn control is done by elevator. As you see in videos of fighter planes, banking just pushes an airplane sideways by this horizontal component of lift. A trajectory of an airplane can look like a turn. But it should not be considered how an airplane “actually” turns. 

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