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The Pilots Desk

Turn Radius & Bank Angle

Radius and required bank angle for a standard-rate (2-minute) turn at a given true airspeed — useful for holding, procedure turns and planning course reversals.

Turn radius
0.64 nm
Turn radius
3,868 ft
Bank angle
18.2°
A standard-rate (2-minute) turn is 3°/second. The bank angle needed grows with true airspeed — the rule of thumb is roughly (TAS ÷ 10) + 7°. Above ~250 kt a standard-rate turn would need an excessive bank, so a half-standard-rate turn is used instead.
How this works

A standard-rate turn is 3° per second, completing 360° in two minutes. The distance flown in that time is the circumference of the turn, so the radius (nm) = TAS ÷ 188.5 (about TAS ÷ 200).

The bank angle needed rises with speed; the rule of thumb is (TAS ÷ 10) + 7°. This tool uses the exact relationship tan(bank) = V·ω/g. Above roughly 250 kt the required bank becomes excessive, so half-standard-rate turns are flown instead.

For reference and training only. Not for navigation or flight planning — always verify against official current sources.