← All explained questions · Supplemental · V — Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
During an S-turn, if you find that one half of the S has a tighter radius than the other half, the most likely cause is
Choices
✓ wind drift not being properly compensated by varying the bank angle.correct
Asymmetric S-turn radii mean wind correction wasn't properly applied. Each half-S should have steepest bank when downwind (highest groundspeed) and shallowest bank when upwind. Failing to bank steeply enough downwind causes the downwind half to be wider; failing to roll out enough upwind makes the upwind half tighter. Practice involves pre-anticipating wind direction at every point on the arc.
altitude variation between the halves.
Altitude doesn't directly affect ground track radius.
the airplane is over gross weight.
Weight doesn't change ground track in turn radius noticeably.
improper trim.
Trim is unrelated to wind drift compensation.
Why
Asymmetric S-turn radii mean wind correction wasn't properly applied. Each half-S should have steepest bank when downwind (highest groundspeed) and shallowest bank when upwind. Failing to bank steeply enough downwind causes the downwind half to be wider; failing to roll out enough upwind makes the upwind half tighter. Practice involves pre-anticipating wind direction at every point on the arc.
FAA source: AFH Ch 6; AFH Chapter 6 — Ground Reference Maneuversbrowse the reference library →
Original study question written for this course — representative of FAA knowledge-test topics, not an actual current FAA exam question.