How do you determine the approximate bank angle for a standard-rate turn at typical speeds?

• A. It varies with airspeed; common values are around 15-20 degrees at light to moderate speeds, increasing with higher speeds
• B. It is always 30 degrees
• C. It is 45 degrees at cruise
• D. It is 5 degrees at all speeds

Answer: (A)

A standard-rate turn is a turn at three degrees per second, and the bank angle you need to hold that rate depends on your airspeed. The faster you fly, the more bank is required to generate the same rate of turn, because you need more horizontal lift to provide the centripetal force at higher speeds. So, the approximate bank angle isn’t fixed; at light to moderate speeds you’ll typically see about 15–20 degrees, and it increases as speed increases. The other options imply a single fixed bank angle for all speeds, which won’t produce a standard-rate turn across the speed range. Five degrees is far too shallow to achieve 3° per second except at very slow speeds, while 30 or 45 degrees would produce much faster-than-standard turns at most typical speeds.