How to fly the maneuver

Turns around a point is the capstone ground reference maneuver — you hold a constant-radius circle around a single fixed ground reference at 600–1,000 ft AGL, varying bank continuously through a full 360° so the track over the ground stays circular. It combines the bank-with-groundspeed principle from the rectangular course (B) with the continuous modulation from s-turns (C), and adds the constraint of a fixed center point to hold the radius against.

Counterintuitive but correct. Bank is steepest on the downwind side (where groundspeed is highest), not "more into the wind." Students often expect to bank harder against the crosswind — that's wrong, and it produces an oval, not a circle.

Setup

1. Pick a prominent, easy-to-spot ground reference: a barn, isolated tree, road intersection, or pond. The reference must be distinct enough to track without losing it in haze.
2. Climb or descend to 600–1,000 ft AGL (V.D.S4 anchors altitude to this band).
3. Set cruise / POH-recommended ground reference airspeed, below VA.
4. Note wind direction before entry.
5. Clear the area with a 90° clearing turn each direction.

Entry

Enter on a downwind tangent — fly past the reference point on a heading that puts the wind directly behind you, at the desired radius from the point. The reference should pass off your wing tip at the moment of roll-in.

Bank required at entry is the steepest of the maneuver (groundspeed is highest here). The ACS allows up to 45°; a typical entry uses 30–40°.

The circle

Through the 360° turn, the bank modulates continuously:

Position on circle	Groundspeed	Bank
Directly downwind	Highest	Steepest
Quartering downwind→crosswind	High→Medium	Steepening to medium
Directly crosswind	Medium	Medium
Quartering crosswind→upwind	Medium→Low	Medium to shallow
Directly upwind	Lowest	Shallowest
Quartering upwind→crosswind (other side)	Low→Medium	Shallow to medium
Directly crosswind (other side)	Medium	Medium
Quartering crosswind→downwind	Medium→High	Medium to steep

The change is continuous, not stepped. Through the upwind half, the bank is shallowing each second; through the downwind half, the bank is steepening each second.

Visual cue: the reference point should appear to track a constant angle relative to your wing tip throughout the turn. If the reference appears to slide outward, bank harder. If it slides inward, shallow.

Exit

Roll out at any point on the circle where wings-level is consistent with your exit direction. Some examiners specify roll-out on the original downwind tangent; others let you exit when you've completed a full 360°.

Common pitfall. Students see the wind blowing them away from the point on the downwind side and instinctively bank less (because "less bank feels safer") — exactly wrong. The downwind portion is where the wind is helping carry you around the circle, so you need more bank to compensate for the increased groundspeed, not less.