Definition
A unit of angular rate that expresses how many degrees of rotation occur in one second of time. In instrument flying, it is most commonly used to describe rate of turn — for example, a standard-rate turn is 3 degrees per second, which produces a 360-degree turn in two minutes.
Plain English
How fast something is turning, measured by how many degrees it rotates each second. If an aircraft is turning at 3 degrees per second, it will have turned 30 degrees after ten seconds.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when discussing rate of turn, timed turns, and the turn coordinator.
Derivation
Degree comes from a Latin word meaning “step.” A circle is divided into 360 degrees, so a degree is one small step around a circle. Per means “for each,” and second means one second of time. Together, degrees per second means “steps around a circle for each second.”
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to confirm they are maintaining a standard rate turn of three degrees per second for consistent instrument procedures and timing.
Intuition Check
Do not read “degrees” here as temperature. In this context, degrees are units of turn around a circle, and seconds are units of time.
Example Sentence 1
At a standard-rate turn of 3 degrees per second, it takes 30 seconds to change heading by 90 degrees.
Example Sentence 2
During the procedure turn, the student monitored the rate to stay at two degrees per second as instructed.