Definition
The angles at which an aircraft's wings are tilted relative to the horizon, measured in degrees from level flight. Common reference points include shallow bank (less than 20°), medium bank (20°–45°), and steep bank (more than 45°).
Plain English
How far the aircraft is tilted left or right, measured by the angle of the wings compared to flat. A small tilt is a shallow bank; a large tilt is a steep bank.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying and steep-turn practice, especially when using the attitude indicator to set and hold the desired amount of bank.
Derivation
‘Bank’ comes from old aviation usage describing the aircraft leaning into a turn, like a road that banks on a curve. ‘Attitude’ in flying means the aircraft's orientation in space, not a mood — so ‘bank attitudes’ simply means the various tilt angles the aircraft can hold.
Why Pilots Care
Precise bank attitudes determine the rate of turn and are critical for maintaining altitude and airspeed in steep turns.
Intuition Check
Do not read attitude as a mental state here. In aviation, an aircraft attitude is the airplane’s physical position in the sky. Also, bank does not mean money here; it means the airplane is tilted left or right.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor demonstrated shallow, medium, and steep bank attitudes to show how each one changed the rate of turn.
Example Sentence 2
Constant cross-check of bank attitudes prevents unintentional overbanking in instrument conditions.