Clearing turns.

Challenged

Challenged

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It seems like performing a clearing turn has the possibility of vectoring you right into the path of a nearby airplane. It seems safer to rely on ADS-B traffic instead.
 
I don’t agree completely since ADS-B is not perfect, but do wonder how a clearing turn is any safer than some other turn.
 
As long as the other planes all have ADS-B. And theirs is working properly. And yours is. And the network is.

So, how many midairs have occurred during clearing turns?
 
But what if my plane doesn't have an electrical system and it doesn't reply to your ADSB, get in the habit of looking out the window for any surprises coming your way, enjoy your flying, there is a reason those old people came up with the idea of doing cleaning turns, they have been around for a long, long time
 
For the most part, maneuvers requiring clearing turns are performed in practice areas - where other aircraft expect these things to happen.
 
Timbeck2 said:
For the most part, maneuvers requiring clearing turns are performed in practice areas - where other aircraft expect these things to happen.
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Well, true if there's a designated practice area. Transient pilots may not know of this. Still, a clearing turn is supposed to help you check for conflicting traffic, before initiating maneuvers, is it not?
 
You must have missed "for the most part" and how many maps have [congested aircraft training area] printed right on them?
 
Use all the tools you got, a clearing turn, your eyes and the ADS-B
 
Clearing turns are pointless... They are a few seconds of observation followed by minutes of this and that.
 
60% of the time I do clearing turns every time.
 
How else are you going to check for bogeys on your six?!


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Clearing turns are not just for you to see other planes, it also make you more visible to other planes.
And in 25 years of flying and instructing, NEVER had an issue with having clearing turns put me in a flight path.
 
TommyG said:
Clearing turns are not just for you to see other planes, it also make you more visible to other planes.
And in 25 years of flying and instructing, NEVER had an issue with having clearing turns put me in a flight path.
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Well, you've got me beat by a few years (18 and a half for me), but I agree. I've never turned into another airplane's path doing a clearing turn, and they make me far more visible to other planes. I'll keep doing them, thank you very much.
 
Unit74 said:
Clearing turns are pointless... They are a few seconds of observation followed by minutes of this and that.
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1RTK1 said:
Not on your check ride:)
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That's for sure. I had a CFI student fail because coming out of a chandelle another airplane crossed close enough in front of him to be concerning to the FAA examiner. "But I had only done one other maneuver first!" said my student, referring to the thumb rule that you can do three maneuvers per set of clearing turns. I told him next time do continuous clearing turns during the retest and only stop doing them long enough to do a required maneuver. That worked. ;)
 
I vote for left 360's as clearing turns... you get a full view of the surrounding airspace, out of the window you can see better from. I'll duck and cover now. "What???? we've never done it that way, we can't .... pant, pant, CHANGE!.... oh my chest..." :D
 
As a student pilot, I almost asked about this here myself. But first I tried to think it through.
My first thought (usually wrong) was "so, in what way is it safer to do a clearing turn? I mean, seems like you would need a clearing turn before you did the clearing turn, and before that, and before that..."

But then I thought that a clearing turn (at least I think) is not a steep turn, it is done at the same altitude, is not abrupt and would hopefully give any aircraft behind you time to react. Where in a maneuver like a steep turn, descending or ascending turns, it's less predictable or quicker.

THEN I wondered why airplanes don't have turn signals :)
 
For you high wing guys... do you still do a brief wing lift to the direction you are going to turn before initiating the turn? So, for a right turn, lift the right wing to look, then turn right?

I was taught that when transitioning to high wing. Didn't really use that technique while co-owning one.

But I do follow my "do list" and make ATITAPA and "final call" calls.
 
I do a vertical 360 degree clearing turn.
Almost completely eliminates the possibility of hitting another plane, and gives you a complete picture of what's going on around you.
:rofl:
 
Ravioli said:
For you high wing guys... do you still do a brief wing lift to the direction you are going to turn before initiating the turn? So, for a right turn, lift the right wing to look, then turn right?

I was taught that when transitioning to high wing. Didn't really use that technique while co-owning one.

But I do follow my "do list" and make ATITAPA and "final call" calls.
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Yup. And periodically with both wings while in straight an level cruise flight which I also do in low wing airplanes. And I slip every so often just to get the cowl off to the side and have a peek straight ahead
 
In my experience I can't see much of consequence unless a plane is really close, but it's better than nothing, so why not. If I do one, I make it a full 360. Maybe other aircraft will see me as I do the turn. I'll lift a wing before turning when aircraft are likely to be nearby, e.g., following the NOTAM approach to OSH. If it's a sunny mid-day I'll look for shadows too.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I once saw an instructor and student pull out onto the runway and do a 360 to check for traffic before takeoff...was that you?
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Theres a well known Pilot who Vlogs on Youtube that does this in his twin prior to takeoff. Enters the runway, does a 360 traffic check and goes. I had never seen it before.
 
Ravioli said:
For you high wing guys... do you still do a brief wing lift to the direction you are going to turn before initiating the turn? So, for a right turn, lift the right wing to look, then turn right?

I was taught that when transitioning to high wing. Didn't really use that technique while co-owning one.

But I do follow my "do list" and make ATITAPA and "final call" calls.
Click to expand...

When doing my primary training in the C172, and during the checkride, that's all we did. We never did any "clearing turns", nor was it brought up during the Private checkride. We would raise the right wing and add some right rudder to slip a bit to increase the field of view behind us, then do the inverse on the left side.
 
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