Definition
The speed at which a pilot rolls the aircraft from a banked turn back to wings level, measured by how quickly the bank angle is reduced. In instrument flying, the rate of recovery is timed so the aircraft arrives at the desired heading just as the wings reach level.
Plain English
How fast you roll out of a turn. If you roll out too slowly, you will overshoot your target heading. If you roll out too quickly, you will stop short of it.
Context Anchor
Seen during instrument practice when rolling out of a turn onto an assigned or selected heading.
Derivation
Rate means how much something changes over time. Recovery comes from older words meaning to regain or get back. In this use, the airplane is getting back from a turn to wings-level flight.
Why Pilots Care
Using the proper rate prevents overshooting or undershooting the target heading, which is essential for accurate navigation and instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
Do not read recovery here as fixing an emergency or recovering from a stall. In this context, it means returning from a banked turn to straight flight.
Example Sentence 1
She started her rollout early because the steep bank required a faster rate of recovery to stop the turn on the assigned heading.
Example Sentence 2
A too-rapid rate of recovery can cause the aircraft to roll past wings level and overshoot the target heading.