PLT348: Forces In A Turn
What code PLT348 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Forces In A Turn before your checkride.
Recall principles of flight - turns
What this means for your checkride
An aircraft turns because the wing is banked, tilting the lift vector so that part of it acts horizontally. This horizontal component of lift, also called centripetal force, pulls the aircraft from a straight path into the turn. The rudder does not turn the aircraft; it corrects for adverse yaw so the turn stays coordinated.
Understanding that lift, not the rudder, turns the aircraft is fundamental to coordinated flight and to why load factor rises in a bank.
Many students believe the rudder makes the airplane turn; in a correctly executed turn the turning force comes from the horizontal component of lift.
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.