S-Turns

Kind of like slalom skiing, but this time you’re flying

S-Turns are typically performed over a long straight road and gives you another opportunity to hone in on your skills in controlling the airplane in relation to the ground at low altitudes.

The idea behind the S-turn maneuver is for you to vary your angle of bank to control your drift from the wind, allowing you to inscribe perfect half circles on either side of the road you are using.  To start this maneuver off right, you’ll want to:

• choose a road that is perpendicular to the prevailing winds at altitude
• fly away from the road and come back in to enter the maneuver on the downwind (wind on your tail, just like a turn about a point)
• always cross the road with your wings level and the airplane perpendicular to the road.  (don’t start to bank the opposite direction until you have crossed the road)