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A coordinated, level turn at 60 degrees of bank puts how much load factor on the airplane?

2 Gs, so everything on board weighs twice as much.

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  1. 1.5 G
  2. 2 G ✔
  3. 3 G

Why: In a level turn the wing must make more lift than the airplane weighs. At 60 degrees of bank that works out to 2 Gs, so the airplane and everything in it feels twice as heavy.

Huh, didn't know that: Bank past 72 degrees and the load factor reaches 3, which raises stall speed a lot.

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What's the difference between an optimist and a pessimist? An optimist created the airplane; a pessimist created the seatbelts.
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References

Answer: 2 G. In a level turn the wing must make more lift than the airplane weighs. At 60 degrees of bank that works out to 2 Gs, so the airplane and everything in it feels twice as heavy.

  1. PHAK ch 5, Aerodynamics of Flight (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
    The load factor for any aircraft in a coordinated level turn at 60° bank is 2 Gs.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. PHAK ch 5, Aerodynamics of Flight (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/07_phak_ch5_0.pdf
    banking an aircraft greater than 72° in a steep turn produces a load factor of 3
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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