Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Sport Pilot (Airplane) • PTS Area VI, Task B

The Sport Pilot (Airplane) S-Turns Lesson Plan covers the knowledge and skills required by FAA-S-8081-29A.

Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Introduction

  • Topic:
    Time:
    Part 1, Introduction:
    0:05
    Part 2, Factors Impacting Ground Reference Maneuvers:
    0:10
    Part 3, Wind Drift Circle:
    0:10
    Part 4, Turns Around a Point:
    0:10
    Part 5, S-Turns:
    0:10
    Part 6, Rectangular Course:
    0:10
    Part 7, Eights Along a Road:
    0:10
    Part 8, Eights Across a Road:
    0:10
    Part 9, Eights Around Pylons:
    0:15
    Part 10, Ground Reference Maneuvers Risk Management:
    0:15
    Part 11, Ground Reference Maneuvers Guided Scenario(s):
    0:15
    Part 12, Conclude Lesson:
    0:10
    Remotivation/Closure:
    0:05
    Total Ground Time:
    0:00

  • Attention Getter:

    • Research and present a mishap case study:
    • Discuss how the initial conditions developed into an incident/accident/mishap.
    • Relate similar personal experiences of the same type of incident/accident/mishap.
    • Consider incorporating a case study as a guided scenario.

  • Motivator:

    • Ground reference maneuvers develop basic pilot skills, using the ground to gauge deviations, as well as serve as the basis for follow-on maneuvers
    • To begin, pilots must understand wind and wind drift.
    • To demonstrate an understanding of wind and wind drift, pilots must first select suitable areas above which to perform each ground reference maneuver.
    • Performing the wind drift circle takes those principles and demonstrates them in flight.
    • With the effects of winds understood, pilots can practice correcting for it by performing turns around a point and S-turns.
    • These training exercises ultimately prepare a pilot for the rectangular course, which trains the pilot for the next phase of training, the traffic pattern.
    • Later, if/when working toward a commercial pilot certificate, eights along a road, eights across a road, eights around pylons, and finally eights on pylons expand upon the previously introduced ground reference maneuvers to demonstrate increasingly proficient control while making corrections throughout the maneuver.
Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Materials

Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Instructor Actions

  • Before the lesson, review reference materials.
  • Part 1, Introduce the lesson:
  • Part 2, Factors Impacting Ground Reference Maneuvers
  • Part 3, Wind Drift Circle:
    • Introduce wind drift circle purpose.
      • Emphasize why the circle flown in the air does will not trace a circle over the ground.
      • Emphasize preparing for turns around a point.
    • Introduce wind drift circle procedure.
    • Introduce wind drift circle common errors.
  • Part 4, Turns Around a Point:
    • Introduce turns around a point purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon wind drift circle (correcting for wind) and preparing for s-turns.
    • Introduce turns around a point procedure.
    • Introduce turns around a point common errors.
  • Part 5, S-Turns:
    • Introduce s-turns purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon turns around a point and preparing for rectangular course.
    • Introduce s-turns procedure.
    • Introduce s-turns common errors.
  • Part 6, Rectangular Course:
    • Introduce rectangular course purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon s-turns and preparing for the traffic pattern.
    • Introduce rectangular course procedure.
    • Introduce rectangular course common errors.
  • Part 7, Eights Along a Road:
    • Introduce eights along a road purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon wind drift circle, turns and a point, s-turns, and rectangular course while preparing for eights across a road.
    • Introduce eights along a road procedure.
    • Introduce eights along a road common errors.
  • Part 8, Eights Across a Road:
    • Introduce eights across a road purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon eights along a road and preparing for eights around pylons.
    • Introduce eights across a road procedure.
    • Introduce eights across a road common errors.
  • Part 9, Eights Around Pylons:
    • Introduce eights around pylons purpose.
      • Emphasize building upon eights along a road and preparing for eights around pylons.
    • Introduce eights around pylons procedure.
    • Introduce eights around pylons common errors.
  • Part 10, Ground Reference Maneuvers Risk Management:
  • Part 11, Guided Scenario(s):
  • Part 12, Conclude Lesson:
    • Relate lesson to power-on stalls.
    • Present the remotivation, conclude, and provide guidance for follow-on lessons.
    • Review student actions required ahead of the next lesson.
  • Update instructor endorsement records and the student's jacket, as required.
Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Guided Scenario(s)

  • While flying near an airport a passenger suddenly experiences an emergency, necessitating a landing as soon as possible and therefore a turn toward the runway.
    • The pilot begins a turn toward the airport and completes the necessary radio communications but suddenly realizes the wind is coming from the runway toward them.
    • How should the pilot adjust their turn to line up on the runway's extended centerline?
    • When lined up on the runway centerline, what does the pilot need to do if the wind is now coming from the right side of the aircraft?
    • How do the pilot's actions change if the wind directions were reversed?
  • While flying over an open area, the pilot looks for a reference point to practice ground reference maneuvers.
    • The pilot see's a car parked on the side of the road, several lines of trees, but one of wthe trees is noteably taller than the others, and a lone tall telephone pole along a driveway in an otherwise open area.
    • Which reference should the pilot select as a ground reference point, and why not the other options?
  • While flying over the same open area, the pilot looks for a reference line to practice ground reference maneuvers.
    • The pilot see's the same car, trees, and telephone pole.
    • Which reference should the pilot select as a ground reference line, and why not the other options?
  • When selecting a ground reference area, what are some safety precautions the pilot must consider? As a reminder, ground reference maneuvers are entered between 600 to 1000 feet.
    • Consider lateral and vertical hazards to include obstacles and other air traffic.
    • If hazards are identified, how far from these obstacles is safe?
    • What maneuver can we perform to scan the area for airborne hazards?
    • Since pilots must divide their attention inside/outside of the aircraft - what does that mean for ground reference maneuvers?
  • Understanding the effect of wind in a turn, the pilot enters a wind drift circle.
    • What airspeed is the pilot flying when entering the wind drift circle?
    • What altitude is the pilot flying when entering the wind drift circle?
  • The pilot realizes after flying over an intersection they ended in a different location than where they started.
    • Where should the pilot end up?
    • What are some reasons the pilot may not finish where they would expect to? Think airspeed, altitude, angle of bank, and wind variations.
  • How can a pilot apply the lessons of a wind drift circle to more than demonstrating the effects of wind?
  • Understanding wind drift circles, the pilot enters a turn around a point.
    • What airspeed is the pilot flying when entering the turn around a point?
    • What altitude is the pilot flying when entering the turn around a point?
  • The pilot ends up flying ends up overflying the point, what happened?
    • What are some reasons the pilot was not able to maintain a consistent distance from the point? Think airspeed, altitude, angle of bank, and wind variations.
  • How can a pilot apply the lessons of a turn around a point?
  • Understanding turns around a point, the pilot enters an S-turn.
    • What airspeed is the pilot flying when entering the S-turn?
    • What altitude is the pilot flying when entering the S-turn?
  • The pilot's semi-circles end up not being symmetrical, what happened?
    • What are some reasons the pilot was not able to maintain a consistent distance from the point? Think airspeed, altitude, angle of bank, and wind variations.
  • How can a pilot apply the lessons of s-turns?
  • Understanding s-turns, the pilot enters a rectangular course.
    • What airspeed is the pilot flying when entering the rectangular course?
    • What altitude is the pilot flying when entering the rectangular course?
  • How do turns around a point apply to flying a rectangular course?
  • How do s-turns apply to flying a rectangular course?
Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Student Actions

Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Airman Certification Standards

Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Practical Test Standards

  • Source: FAA-S-8081-29A, Section 1 - Sport Pilot Airplane.
  • Task: S-TURNS (ASEL and ASES).
  • References: FAA-H-8083-3.
  • Objective: To determine that the applicant:
Objective Elements 7 PTS Elements
  • SP.1:
    Exhibits knowledge of the elements related to S-turns.
  • SP.2:
    Selects a suitable ground reference line and emergency landing area.
  • SP.3:
    Plans the maneuver so as to not descend below a minimum altitude of 600 feet above the ground perpendicular to the selected reference line.
  • SP.4:
    Applies adequate wind-drift correction to track a constant radius turn on each side of the selected reference line.
  • SP.5:
    Reverses the direction of turn directly over the selected reference line.
  • SP.6:
    Divides attention between airplane control, orientation and the ground track while maintaining coordinated flight.
  • SP.7:
    Maintains altitude, ±100 feet; maintains airspeed, ±10 knots.
Sport Pilot (Airplane) S Turns Lesson Plan

Conclusion

  • Re-Motivation:

    • S Turns strengthens the coordination, energy awareness, and precise control needed to keep the airplane within safe aerodynamic limits.
    • Recognizing changes in angle of attack, load factor, control effectiveness, wind drift, and developing errors allows pilots to correct before safety margins disappear.
    • Structured practice builds visual awareness, aircraft feel, checklist discipline, and the judgment required to discontinue or recover when a maneuver becomes unstable.
    • Mastery of S Turns provides a foundation for the more precise and complex aircraft-control tasks encountered in later training.

  • Closure:

    • Advise students that this lesson will be used as a starting point for the next lesson.
    • Assign study materials for the next lesson.