Definition
The number of degrees of heading change per unit of time during a turn, normally expressed in degrees per second. A standard rate turn is 3 degrees per second, which produces a 360-degree turn in two minutes. Rate of turn depends on bank angle and true airspeed: for a given bank angle, a faster aircraft turns at a slower rate; to maintain the same rate of turn at a higher airspeed, a steeper bank is required.
Plain English
How quickly the aircraft is changing direction, measured as how many degrees of heading it sweeps through each second.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning turns, instrument flying, heading changes, and standard-rate turns.
Derivation
“Rate” means an amount measured over time. Here, the amount is heading change, and the time is seconds, so rate of turn means how many degrees of direction the aircraft changes each second.
Why Pilots Care
Controls the time required to change heading, directly affecting timing in holds, procedure turns, and course intercepts.
Analogy
Think of the airplane’s heading like a clock hand moving around a dial. Rate of turn is how fast that hand is moving, not how far from the center it is.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse rate of turn with how sharply the airplane is banked or how tight the turn looks. Rate of turn is about how fast the heading changes over time.
Example Sentence 1
Entering the hold, the pilot established a standard rate turn so the inbound leg would line up after exactly one minute of turning.
Example Sentence 2
At a constant bank angle, lowering airspeed increases the rate of turn.