Flight Instructor for Airplane Category › IX. Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers › Task E. Ground Reference Maneuvers

AI.IX.E.S3b

Skill

Plan the maneuver:

S-turns: enter perpendicular to the selected reference line, 600 to 1,000 feet AGL at an appropriate distance from the selected reference area

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Study note

Get a short, cited explanation of this element written from the FAA handbooks: the core idea, the numbers that matter, common test traps, and a quick self-check.

From the FAA library

Airplane Flying Handbook p. 7-4
Chapter 7: Ground Reference Maneuvers › Drift and Ground Track Control › Constant Radius During Turning Flight
With some experience, pilots may notice how wind direction affects the time needed for various segments of ground-referenced turns. To demonstrate the effect that wind has on turns, the pilot should select a straight-line ground reference, such ... road or railroad track. [Figure 7-3] Choosing a straight-line ground reference that is parallel to the wind, the airplane would be flown into the wind and directly over the selected straight-line ground reference. Once a straight-line…
Airplane Flying Handbook p. 7-1
Chapter 7: Ground Reference Maneuvers › Maneuvering by Reference to Ground Objects
driver adjusts the pressure on the accelerator pedal to smoothly join the new lane. In the same manner, multiple references are required to precisely control the airplane in reference to the ground. Not all ground-based references are visually equal ... Awareness of typical visual illusions helps a pilot select appropriate references. For example, larger objects or references may appear closer than they actually are when compared to smaller objects or references. Prevailing visibility has a significant effect on the pilot…
Airplane Flying Handbook p. 7-10
Chapter 7: Ground Reference Maneuvers › Elementary Eights
Each of these maneuvers is a variation of a turn around a point. Each eight uses two ground reference points about which the airplane turns first in one direction and then the opposite direction—like a figure eight. Eights maneuvers ... purposes: ⦁ Further development of the pilot’s skill in maintaining a specific relationship between the airplane and the ground references. ⦁ Improving the pilot’s ability to divide attention between the flightpath and ground-based references, manipulation of the flight controls…
Airplane Flying Handbook p. 7-5
Chapter 7: Ground Reference Maneuvers › Drift and Ground Track Control › Tracking Over and Parallel to a Straight Line
necessary to increase or decrease the angle of bank, which increases or decreases the rate of turn, to achieve the desired constant radius track over the ground. Ground reference maneuvers should always be entered from a downwind position. This allows ... pilot should immediately exit the maneuver and re-establish a lateral position that is further from the ground reference. The pilot should avoid bank angles in excess of 45°due to the increased stalling speed. Tracking Over and Parallel…
Airplane Flying Handbook p. 7-5
Chapter 7: Ground Reference Maneuvers › Rectangular Course
pilot should scan between far ahead and close to the airplane to practice tracking multiple references. When proficiency has been demonstrated by flying directly over the ground reference line, the pilot should then practice flying a straight parallel path that ... offset from the ground reference. The offset parallel path should not be more than three-fourths of a mile from the reference line. The maneuver should be flown offset from the ground references with the pilot angling the airplane…