Definition
An advanced ground reference maneuver in which the airplane is flown in a figure-eight pattern around two selected ground points (pylons) while holding an imaginary line extending laterally from the pilot's eye fixed on each pylon throughout the turn. Unlike eights around pylons, the pilot does not maintain a constant altitude or radius; instead, the pilot adjusts altitude up or down to keep the lateral reference line locked on the pylon, flying at the airplane's pivotal altitude for the given groundspeed.
Plain English
A training maneuver where you fly a figure-eight around two points on the ground, holding the wing pointed at each point as you turn. Instead of holding a steady height, you climb or descend slightly to keep the wing aimed at the point, since the correct height changes with your speed over the ground.
Context Anchor
You encounter Eights on Pylons in commercial pilot training and in the Airplane Flying Handbook section on advanced ground-reference maneuvers.
Derivation
“Eight” refers to the figure-eight shape of the path over the ground. “Pylon” originally meant a tower or marker; in this maneuver, it means a fixed point on the ground that the pilot uses as the turning reference.
Why Pilots Care
Develops precise control of the airplane's path over the ground and the ability to compensate for wind drift, skills used in traffic patterns and low-level operations.
Grounding Statement
Picture two clear points on the ground, such as road intersections, with the airplane drawing a sideways 8 around them while each point stays lined up with the wing during its turn.
Intuition Check
A pylon in this maneuver does not have to be an actual tower or pole. It is any suitable fixed point on the ground that the pilot can clearly see and use as a reference.
Example Sentence 1
During the commercial checkride, the examiner asked the pilot to demonstrate eights on pylons using two silos a half mile apart.
Example Sentence 2
With a crosswind present, the pilot steepened the bank on the downwind side of each pylon to keep the radius constant.