Anyone who has gone through primary training and progressed as far as doing airwork—slow-flight, stalls, ground-reference maneuvers, etc.—should be familiar with at least the concept of a clearing turn. In its most-common flavor, the airplane is turned 90 degrees in one direction and then another 90 degrees in the other direction. In between those turns, while flying more or less straight-and-level, we’re supposed to look for potential traffic before reversing the turn and initiating the planned maneuver.
Of course, as with almost all things in aviation, there’s a right way and a wrong way to perform a task, and looking for traffic while performing a clearing turn qualifies. Meanwhile, the “clearing turn” itself also could use some amplification, not least because it’s really two turns. And we should probably take a moment to pay attention to what we’re turning toward before even beginning the clearing turn. Just like rain on your wedding day, wouldn’t it be ironic to collide with another airplane during a clearing turn?
