Definition
Turns flown with a bank angle of less than approximately 20 degrees, in which the airplane's tendency to remain in the turn is weak and the pilot must hold slight aileron pressure into the turn to maintain the bank.
Plain English
A gentle turn where the wings are tilted only a little. Because the bank is so small, the airplane naturally wants to roll back to level, so the pilot keeps a small amount of pressure on the controls to hold the turn.
Context Anchor
Seen in takeoff and climb discussions, especially when describing turns made shortly after liftoff or while climbing away from the runway.
Derivation
Shallow comes from Old English meaning 'not deep.' Applied to a turn, it describes a bank angle that doesn't go far from level — the wings are only slightly tilted from horizontal.
Why Pilots Care
Preserves climb rate and coordination immediately after takeoff when altitude and airspeed margins are still small.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane just after takeoff: it needs to turn, but it also needs to keep climbing, so the pilot uses only a gentle sideways tilt.
Intuition Check
Shallow does not mean careless or unimportant here; it means a small angle of sideways tilt. Banked does not mean a sharp turn by itself; it means the airplane is tilted to make the turn.
Example Sentence 1
During climb-out, the student used a shallow banked turn to correct slightly back onto the runway heading.
Example Sentence 2
During the initial climb segment, shallow banked turns were used to avoid obstacles without steepening the bank or reducing climb performance.