Definition
A training maneuver in which the airplane is flown in a coordinated level turn at a bank angle of 45 degrees or more (typically 45° for private pilots and 50° for commercial pilots), while maintaining altitude, airspeed, and a constant bank through 360 degrees of turn.
Plain English
A practice maneuver where the pilot rolls the airplane into a sharp bank — usually 45 or 50 degrees — and flies a full circle while holding height and speed steady.
Context Anchor
You encounter steep turns during flight training, maneuver practice, and practical test preparation.
Derivation
Steep originally means sharply rising or sharply sloping. In aviation, the idea is applied to the airplane’s wing angle in the turn, not to the airplane climbing upward.
Why Pilots Care
Develops precise control skills required for safe handling during turns in normal and emergency flight situations.
Grounding Statement
Picture rolling the airplane to about a 45-degree wing tilt and smoothly holding the nose from dropping while the airplane turns in a circle.
Intuition Check
Steep does not mean the airplane is climbing sharply here. In a steep turn, steep means the wings are banked sharply during the turn.
Example Sentence 1
The examiner asked for a steep turn to the left, so the pilot rolled into a 45-degree bank and added back-pressure to hold altitude.
Example Sentence 2
During training, the instructor had the student repeat the steep turn until coordination and altitude remained constant.