PERFORMANCE MANEUVERS

Performance maneuvers are used to develop a high degree of pilot skill. They aid the pilot in analyzing the forces acting on the airplane and in developing a fine control touch, coordination, timing, and division of attention for precise maneuvering of the airplane. Performance maneuvers are termed “advanced” maneuvers because the degree of skill required for proper execution is normally not acquired until a pilot has obtained a sense of orientation and control feel in “normal” maneuvers. An important benefit of performance maneuvers is the sharpening of fundamental skills to the degree that the pilot can cope with unusual or unforeseen circumstances occasionally encountered in normal flight.

Advanced maneuvers are variations and/or combinations of the basic maneuvers previously learned. They embody the same principles and techniques as the basic maneuvers, but require a higher degree of skill for proper execution. The student, therefore, who demonstrates a lack of progress in the performance of advanced maneuvers, is more than likely deficient in one or more of the basic maneuvers. The flight instructor should consider breaking the advanced maneuver down into its component basic maneuvers in an attempt to identify and correct the deficiency before continuing with the advanced maneuver.