FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Aerodynamics and Principles of FlightMedium
During a turn, a pilot notices the ball is displaced toward the low (inside) wing even though the airplane is holding a constant bank angle with rudder applied. This condition, in which the bank angle is too steep for the existing rate of turn, is best described as a:
- ASlipping turn caused by too much bank for the existing rate of turn
- BSkidding turn caused by excessive rudder for the bank angle
- CSkidding turn caused by insufficient bank angle
- DSlipping turn caused by excess airspeed for the bank angle
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Slipping turn caused by too much bank for the existing rate of turn
A slipping turn occurs when the bank angle is too steep for the rate of turn (or rudder input is insufficient), causing the airplane to slide toward the inside of the turn and the ball to move toward the low wing. A skidding turn is the opposite—too shallow a bank (or too much rudder) for the rate of turn, sliding the ball toward the outside of the turn.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Describes a skid, which displaces the ball outward, not inward.
- C. Reverses the cause; a skid results from too much rate of turn for the bank, not insufficient bank.
- D. Slips are caused by bank/rudder mismatch, not simply excess airspeed.
Slipping vs Skidding Turn
A slip occurs when bank is too steep for the turn rate (ball toward inside/low wing); a skid occurs when bank is too shallow for the turn rate (ball toward outside).
- Slip: too much bank, ball toward low wing
- Skid: too much rudder/rate, ball toward high wing
- Coordinated flight keeps the ball centered
Memory trick: 'Slip in, Skid out' — ball toward low wing = slip, ball toward outside = skid.