PLT309: Load Factor and Bank Angle
What code PLT309 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Load Factor and Bank Angle before your checkride.
Recall load factor - angle of bank
What this means for your checkride
Load factor is the ratio of the load the wings carry to the actual weight of the airplane, expressed in G. In a level turn it depends only on the angle of bank, not on speed or weight: it climbs slowly at first, then steeply, reaching 2 G at 60 degrees of bank.
Load factor connects bank angle to both structural stress and stall speed, so the FAA tests whether you can state the G loading for a given bank and understand why steep turns are demanding.
Pilots assume a heavier airplane pulls more Gs in the same turn. Load factor for a level turn is set by bank angle alone; weight changes the actual pounds on the structure, not the G number.
Where to study it
Practice questions on this code
Real questions from the Aviator IQ bank that test this exact area. Answer each to see the correct choice, the full rationale, and the FAA source.
In a coordinated level turn at a 60° bank angle, what load factor acts on the airplane?
For a given airplane, the stall always occurs at the same angle of attack regardless of which set of conditions?
Oral checkride defense
A code on your report is an area the examiner can revisit. Here is how an examiner might probe it, and how to explain it out loud.
What load factor are you pulling in a level 60 degree bank, and why does it matter?
Two Gs. In a level turn load factor depends only on bank angle, and it rises steeply past 45 degrees. It matters because it raises both the stall speed and the structural load, so a steep, slow turn near the ground is where an accelerated stall can bite.
How does load factor change your stall speed?
Stall speed rises with the square root of the load factor. At 2 Gs it goes up about 40 percent, so an airplane that stalls at 50 knots wings-level can stall near 70 in a 60 degree bank. That is why I respect stall margins in steep turns.
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.