Rate of Turn

This formula gives the angular speed at which an aircraft changes heading while making a coordinated level turn. It comes from balancing the horizontal component of lift against the centripetal acceleration needed to follow a circular path: more bank angle means more sideways lift and a faster turn, while higher true airspeed means the aircraft covers more distance each second and therefore turns more slowly for the same bank.

Use this when you need to estimate turn rate from bank angle and airspeed, such as in flight planning, instrument flying, or checking whether a bank angle will produce a standard or non-standard turn. It is especially useful for coordinated turns where altitude is maintained and the turn is not slipping or skidding.

• Using indicated airspeed instead of true airspeed without checking whether the approximation is acceptable
• Forgetting that the bank angle must be in degrees only if your calculator is set to degrees for tan(φ)
• Applying the formula to uncoordinated turns or climbs/descents where the level-turn assumption does not hold