It’s a rite of passage. Almost immediately after earning your pilot certificate you will likely take up a loved one and head straight for your house or theirs to say hello. Even though you probably didn’t practice circling a house in training, one maneuver did prepare you well for the adventure: turns around a point. Use the basic tactics of this ground reference maneuver as a starting point for your adventure.
1. Plan your circle so it’s wide enough that you’re able to make shallow banks. Fighter-pilot heroics are not required with this one. Aim for 30 degrees or so.
2. Remember from turns around a point that downwind and crosswind are the sections that require the steepest banks.
3. Give most of your attention to the horizon and the house, glancing in the cockpit every few seconds to verify altitude and coordination.
4. Consider passenger comfort. If you’re flying a Piper with a nervous passenger, for example, turn to the left to lean them away from the door.
5. Be neighborly, in the good fences sense. Don’t linger for more than a circle or two.
6. Say hello after exiting the maneuver by banking left and right. Don’t try to do this in the circle. It’s both more difficult both to perform and for your adoring fans to see on the ground.
Constantly changing the bank angle is necessary when there is wind. The steepest bank will be on the downwind leg, where groundspeed is greatest.
