Wednesday, November 11, 2026 · Captain's Challenge
The Captain's Challenge.
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An aeroplane in a level, coordinated turn at a constant 30° of bank doubles its true airspeed. The radius of the turn becomes about:
The answer
1Four times as large
Explanation
In a level coordinated turn, radius = TAS² ÷ (g × tan bank). At a constant bank angle the radius varies with the square of the true airspeed, so doubling TAS makes the radius 2² = 4 times as large. The rate of turn (g × tan bank ÷ TAS) is halved.
Memory tip: Radius goes with speed squared: double the TAS, four times the radius.
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