Straight & Turning Climbs
Straight and turning climbs demonstrate basic airmanship necessary to conduct climb and departure procedures.
Introduction to Straight & Turning Climbs
- Weight acts in a rearward direction, causing more total drag, requiring increased power
- Used to practice take-off
- Climb is limited by the thrust available
- Normal climb may be called "cruise climb"
- Pitch + Power = Performance
WARNING:
All procedures are GENERALIZED.
Use the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) procedures for specific aircraft performance and limitations.
and/or current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Straight & Turning Climbs Key Highlights
- Straight and turning climbs develop pilot ability to maintain precise aircraft control while gaining altitude.
- Climbs require coordinated management of pitch attitude, power settings, airspeed, and trim.
- Turning climbs combine altitude gain with heading changes while maintaining coordinated flight and stable climb performance.
- Vy provides the best rate of climb while Vx provides the best angle of climb for obstacle clearance situations.
- Additional rudder coordination is necessary during climbs due to increased left-turning tendencies at high power settings.
- Bank angle, load factor, and increased drag during turning climbs can reduce climb performance and increase stall speed.
- Pilots should divide attention between outside visual references and flight instruments during climb operations.
- Improper pitch or coordination during climbs may result in airspeed deviations, excessive yaw, or stall conditions.
- Wind conditions, aircraft weight, density altitude, and turbulence significantly affect climb performance.
- Understanding straight and turning climbs improves aircraft control proficiency, energy management, and overall flight safety.
Best Rate of Climb
- The best rate of climb, or Vy, occurs where the most excess power is available over that required for level flight
- it will produce the greatest altitude gain in the least amount of time
Best Angle of Climb
- The best angle of climb, or Vx, provides the most altitude gain in the least amount of distance and is considerably lower than Vy
Constant Airspeed Climbs
- First, set the attitude
- Use visual references you're familiar with like Vx or Vy on takeoff
- If the airspeed is higher than your reference, don't pitch as high, and vice versa
- Next, set the power
- Finally, make adjustments
- Continue to evaluate and make small corrections, correcting with atttiude vs. airspeed
- If you pitch for the desired airspeed and overshoot, you'll end up chasing the needle
Straight and Turning Climb Procedure
- Perform clearing turns.
- Begin the climb:
- Increase pitch and then increase power (full > 100' to overcome drag
- The two will be almost simultaneous but remember, Pitch + Power = Performance
- Put the cowling on the horizon during a Vy Climb
- Put the glare shield on the horizon during a cruise climb
- Increase right rudder to overcome propeller effects to the left
- Controllable-pitch propellers will have a manifold pressure gauge in addition to a tachometer
- Increasing the throttle will increase manifold pressure
- Manifold pressure decreases with altitude
- More power will be needed for a climbing turn due to the resultant lift
- Increase pitch and then increase power (full > 100' to overcome drag
- Adjust Trim
- Cross-check Instruments:
- Cross-check the airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, and the position of the airplanes nose to the horizon to determine correct pitch attitude
- Heading should be constant with wings level for a straight turn
- Climbing turns should have a constant angle of bank and rate of turn:
- Shallow (less than 20 degrees)
- Medium (20 degrees to 45 degrees)
- Steep (45 degrees or more)
- Adverse yaw and coordinated flight should be considered in turning
- Level-off:
- Level off 10% of the rate of climb before your desired altitude (500 fpm would make 50 feet early)
- Climb power should be retained temporarily so that the airplane will accelerate to the cruise speed more rapidly
- When the desired speed is reached, decrease throttle and re-trim the aircraft and adjust mixture
- Complete cruise checklist
Instrument Reference
- For any maneuver of condition of flight, the pitch, bank, and power control requirements are most clearly indicated by certain key instruments
- Those instruments which provide the most pertinent and essential information will be referred to as primary instruments
- Supporting instruments back up and supplement the information shown on the primary instruments
| PITCH | BANK | POWER | |
| Primary | Airspeed Indicator | Heading Indicator | MP and/or RPM |
| Supporting | VSI | Airspeed / Turn Coordinator | Airspeed |
Straight and Turning Climbs Common Errors
- Failure to adequately clear the area, as appropriate
- Attempting to establish climb pitch attitude by referencing the airspeed indicator, resulting in "chasing" the airspeed
- Applying elevator pressure too aggressively resulting in an excessive climb angle
- Applying elevator pressure too aggressively during level-off resulting in negative "G" forces
- Inadequate or inappropriate rudder pressure during climbing turns
- Allowing the airplane to yaw in straight climbs usually due to inadequate right rudder pressure
- Fixation on the nose during straight climbs, resulting in climbing with one wing low
- Failure to initiate a climbing turn properly with use of rudder and elevators, resulting in little turn, but rather climb with one wing low
- improper coordination resulting in a slip which counteracts the effect of the climb, resulting in little or no altitude gain
- Inability to keep pitch and bank attitude constant during climbing turns
- Attempting to exceed the airplane's climb capabilities
Airman Certification Standards
Straight & Turning Climbs Knowledge Check
Private Pilot
Core Knowledge Review
Review the foundational knowledge, key concepts, and practical considerations for Straight & Turning Climbs.
Foundational
Immediate Feedback
Answer Explanations
Commercial Pilot
Advanced Application
Apply your knowledge of Straight & Turning Climbs to advanced operational scenarios, risk management, and aeronautical decision-making.
Advanced
Scenario Based
Risk Management
Why Take a Quiz?
Quizzes reinforce key concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and build confidence for real-world decisions in the cockpit.
Straight & Turning Climbs Conclusion
- Remain mindful that performance calculations are usually more optimistic than actual performance.
- Consider actual versus realized performance when doing any performance calculations
- Consider practicing maneuvers on a flight simulator to introduce yourself to maneuvers or knock off rust
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