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
- Test your understanding of Straight & Turning Climbs by completing the knowledge quiz, applying your knowledge in the interactive scenario, comparing your performance against the applicable Airman Certification Standards, and concluding with the topic summary to reinforce the key concepts before moving on to the next lesson.
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
Straight & Turning Climbs Interactive Scenario
Interactive Scenario
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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. Quiz material is representative of the information provided here and is not based on or sourced from the Federal Aviation Administration test bank.
Airman Certification Standards
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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