On an early high flight your instructor’s voice comes over the radio: “Look left. Lean left. A little left brake.” The horizon tilts, you sink gently into the seat, and the landscape swings round beneath you. Most students love it.
Turning is easy. Turning well, at the right moment, in the right place and with the right amount of brake, keeps you clear of the hill, other pilots and the stall. Over-control (
Look, lean, pull
Every turn starts the same way.
- Look. Turn your head to where you want to go. Check that the airspace is clear on that side, and where the turn will take you: room, height, terrain. Pick the landmark you will roll out on2.
- Lean. Shift your weight into the turn; that side of the seat drops3.
- Pull. Pull the inside brake smoothly and progressively, and keep the outside hand up34.
Once the turn is going, control the
Figure: A 90° right turn seen from behind: look, lean, pull, hold the bank, then roll out a little before the new heading. The small plan view shows the heading. The second variant starts from minimum sink.
A 90° turn, step by step
Look to the new direction, check it is clear and pick your exit landmark.
Cue Clear air on that side, and your landmark in view.
Why You fly where you look, and the space must be free2.
Lean into the turn.
Cue That side of the seat drops slightly.
Why Weight shift turns the wing with less brake3.
Pull the inside brake smoothly; keep the outside hand up.
Cue After a moment the wing banks and you sink gently into the seat.
Why A coordinated turn keeps the inside wing flying4.
Hold the bank with your weight and the outside brake.
Cue A steady bank; your landmark swings towards the centre of your view.
Why The outside brake steadies the outer wing and sets the rate of turn5.
Roll out a little before your heading. Ease the inside brake and centre your weight.
Cue The wing comes level over you.
Why The wing keeps turning while it levels.
Hands up, eyes on your landmark.
Cue Steady wind noise; the swing settles.
The outside brake
The outside brake steadies the outer wingtip and controls how fast you turn, but too much of it slows the whole wing5. A common beginner fault is letting the outside hand follow the inside one, so you brake both sides: the turn goes flat, slow and mushy.
How much brake? Two ways in
Excessive brake only adds sink3. Lean first, and you need less. Never start a turn with your hands already deep: from minimum speed the inside wing can stall and spin5.
APPI teaches two ways into a turn, depending on your speed6:
- From
trim speed (hands up): look, lean, pull the inside brake, then release it. - From
minimum sink (both hands a little down): look, lean, let the outside brake up, then return to minimum sink.
The second method suits the German federation’s advice: easing the outside brake as the turn starts, with weight shift, is its best prevention of a stall in a turn4. If the inside brake gets very heavy and the wind noise fades, let it up. If it suddenly goes light, the inside wing has stalled: both hands up at once47; see spin. Your instructor’s method takes precedence.
Stopping a turn
Look ahead to your exit landmark early. Start rolling out a little before you reach the heading, because the wing keeps turning as it levels. Ease the inside brake smoothly, bring your weight back to the centre and, if needed, add a touch of outside brake.
Roll out gradually. Snapping out of a steep turn turns the speed into a
90°, 180° and 360°
| Turn | What to watch |
|---|---|
| 90° | Look first; roll out on your landmark |
| 180° | Started into wind, it ends downwind, fast over the ground |
| 360° | Only when your instructor says, with height and space; it drifts downwind |
Turns are built up in steps. APPI starts with 90° and 180° turns and adds
In wind a circle drifts downwind, and near a ridge its downwind half can carry you behind or into the hill11. A turn that keeps steepening and speeding up can become a
Always turn away from terrain
Near a slope, every turn goes away from it11. Training exercises are flown close to the
No turns near the ground
A steep turn low down makes you sink much faster, then swings you out and back. Manufacturers warn of a dangerous pendulum swing near the ground; one advises against tight turns below about 30 m100 ft, and SafePro tells students to avoid turns close to the ground altogether14. In a fatal training accident, a student made an approach turn with deep brake and little weight shift; the wing spun, then spiralled, with no height to recover15.
Low and off line? Keep the wing level, make only gentle corrections, land ahead as much into wind as you can, and flare16. The low-turn trap shows why.
Safety-critical A long walk beats a low turn
If you are low and not lined up, land straight ahead. Walking back costs minutes; a steep turn near the ground can cost far more.
Common mistake Pulling before you look
- Symptom
- You turn towards another pilot, or towards the hill, before you have seen them.
- Cause
- The hand moves first and the eyes follow.
- Fix
- Look, then lean, then pull, every time2.
Common mistake Turning on the brake alone
- Symptom
- A flat, slow turn; the inside brake feels heavy and the wing mushy.
- Cause
- Deep inside brake with little lean, often with the outside brake held down too.
- Fix
- Lean first and ease the outside brake. If the inside brake gets heavy, let it up4.
Common mistake Turning towards the hill
- Symptom
- After a turn you are closer to the slope, and the next turn is rushed.
- Cause
- Turning without checking where the turn would take you.
- Fix
- Near terrain, every turn goes away from it11.
Instructor's note The wing answers late
The wing hangs about 7 m25 ft above you17, so it banks a moment after your input. Students who feel nothing happening add more brake, and the turn then winds up. Lean, pull, and give it a second. Near the top of its
Standards differ Turn skills and limits for the first rating
Common ground: All the systems build up from gentle turns with a lookout first, and add 360s only with height and space9.
- USHPA (USA)
- P2: S-turns of at least 90° (the heading need not go beyond 45° from straight into wind), 180s both ways, and explaining a 360. Recommended limits: bank no more than 30°, no brake beyond two thirds of the travel1019.
- BHPA (UK)
- The BHPA says 30° of bank is more than enough for normal flying, including thermalling8. The Club Pilot task book is not public20.
- APPI (international)
- Two ways into a turn, from trim and from minimum sink6. Early levels fly 90° and 180° turns; 360s and
figure-eights come at Adventure level9. - FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference)
- Stage 2: shallow turns with a visual check, gentle to medium bank and drift correction9.
Summarised from each body’s published material, which changes over time. Check the current official documents and follow your school.
Questions students ask
How much should I lean?
Enough to feel one side of the seat drop. Your chest-strap setting changes how well weight shift works21, so your instructor will fine-tune it with you.
Can I turn with weight shift alone?
Yes, gently. USHPA asks P2 pilots to show weight-shift turns10 and, with the rear risers, it is how you steer if a brake line ever fails22.
How high should I be for my first 360?
Your instructor sets that for your site and wing. SafePro asks for extra height and distance from terrain9.
What if a turn keeps getting tighter?
Ease the inside brake and bring your weight back to the centre, early and smoothly8.
Key points
- Look, lean, pull: clear the airspace and pick an exit landmark before every turn.
- Control the turn with weight shift and the outside brake; never start from deep brake.
- From minimum sink, APPI starts turns by letting the outside brake up.
- Roll out a little before your heading, smoothly, and let the swing settle.
- Near terrain, always turn away from it. No turns near the ground: low and off line, land ahead.
- 360s come later, with your instructor, height and space.