Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

5 Answers

Commercial Maneuvers

Asked by: 5162 views Commercial Pilot, General Aviation

What is max pitch defined as for a single engine aircraft? Is it 10-15 degrees of pitch or perhaps 10 knots above stall speed (Vs1)? I ask because max pitch is used for chandelles and lazy 8s. The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook explains these maneuvers but this book does not define "max pitch". Any feedback appreciated.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

5 Answers



  1. CFI Academy on Jun 28, 2013

    “Completes rollout at the 180° point, ±10° just above a stall airspeed, and maintaining that airspeed momentarily avoiding a stall.”

    This is out of Commercial Pilot PTS for chandelles. Similarly, you can look up lazy 8s etc. Yes, these “completion standards” are not listed in the CFI PTS. As these are commercial maneuvers, you need to check in the commercial PTS.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Dan Chitty on Jun 28, 2013

    Regarding the chandelle, you are correct, it is clearly stated for the 180 degree point but no mention is made in the PTS or FAA Aiplane Flying Handbook for the 90 degree point.

    The procedure is to be at max pitch at the 90 degree point for the chandelle. What is max pitch defined as at the 90 degree point? Same goes for the lazy 8 at the 45 degree point as it mention max pitch but no definition of max pitch.What is max pitch defined as at the 45 degree point?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Brian on Jun 28, 2013

    There is no max pitch as it is aircraft specific. The key is your pitch at these points is at the maximum to complete the maneuver within the other parameters. Since aircraft design and power availability dictate what pitch attitude is necessary to achieve these goals, no max pitch attitude can be given. It is up to you to figure out what is necessary for your aircraft to accomplish the task.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Dan Chitty on Jun 28, 2013

    Brian and CFI Academy, Thank you both for the feedback. Much appreciated.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  5. Donnie on Jun 29, 2013

    Maximum pitch means the maximum pitch in the maneuver. Not necessarily the maximum pitch the aircraft will do. As others have said, the pitch in the maneuver is aircraft- and conditions-specific.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.