Definition
A turn flown with the aircraft banked at 45 degrees from level, used in instrument training as a steep turn maneuver to develop smooth, coordinated control while maintaining altitude, airspeed, and heading by reference to instruments.
Plain English
A turn where the wings are tilted 45 degrees from level — halfway between flat and straight up on edge. It's a training exercise to practice holding altitude and speed steady while turning hard.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training during steep turn practice, where the pilot must hold a precise bank angle, altitude, airspeed, and heading references using the flight instruments.
Derivation
Bank in aviation means the sideways tilt of an airplane in a turn. The word comes from the older idea of a sloped or raised side, like the bank of a river; in flight, it helps describe the airplane being tilted to one side rather than staying level.
Why Pilots Care
It increases load factor and demands coordinated power and pitch inputs to maintain altitude and airspeed without exceeding aircraft limits.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane tilted noticeably to one side while still trying to hold the same height above the ground.
Intuition Check
Bank does not mean a financial bank or the edge of a river here. In this term, bank means the sideways tilt of the airplane’s wings during a turn.
Example Sentence 1
During the checkride, the examiner asked for a 45° bank turn to the left while holding altitude within 100 feet.
Example Sentence 2
During the steep turn exercise the instructor called for a 45° bank turn to the right at constant airspeed.