PLT086: Turn and Slip Indicator
What code PLT086 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Turn and Slip Indicator before your checkride.
Interpret readings on a Turn and Slip Indicator 3
What this means for your checkride
The turn-and-slip indicator, and the related turn coordinator, shows the rate of turn and the quality of the turn. The needle or miniature airplane shows turn direction and rate; the inclinometer ball shows whether the turn is coordinated, slipping (ball to the inside), or skidding (ball to the outside).
Coordinated flight and standard-rate turns are basic instrument skills, so the FAA tests how to read turn rate and use the ball to coordinate with rudder.
Pilots ignore the ball. Step on the ball, add rudder toward the side it has slid, to coordinate; a skidding, uncoordinated turn is what can drop a wing into a spin.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.