Aircraft Stall Speed in Banked Turns & Flap Configurations
Calculate accelerated stall speed (KIAS), G-load factor, and minimum maneuvering speed in steep turns.
Last reviewed by the myCalculator Editorial Team
Input Parameters
e.g. 50 KIAS for C172 clean, 55 KIAS for PA28
Standard steep turns are 45° or 60°
Calculation Results
Visual Growth Breakdown
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Formula & How Aircraft Stall Speed in Banked Turns & Flap Configurations Works
In a banked turn the wings must carry the aircraft's weight plus the extra load of the turn, so the load factor is n = 1 ÷ cos(bank angle) and the stall speed rises to Vs × √n. A trainer that stalls at 50 knots in level flight stalls at 50 × √1.414 = about 59.5 knots in a 45° bank, and at about 71 knots at 60°. Flaps lower the clean stall speed, and a lower weight lowers it too. The stall speed rises quickly in steep turns and in pull-ups, which is why turns at low speed near the ground are dangerous. Always use the figures from the aircraft flight manual for real operations, and stay well above the stall speed.
- Enter Clean Straight-and-Level Stall Speed Vs1 (KIAS) (KIAS): Input your target parameter value.
- Enter Bank Angle in Turn (Degrees) (deg): Input your target parameter value.
- Enter Wing Flap Configuration: Input your target parameter value.
- Enter Current Aircraft Weight (kg) (kg): Input your target parameter value.
- Enter Maximum Takeoff Weight MTOW (kg) (kg): Input your target parameter value.
- Apply Formula: Calculate using
Load Factor n = 1 ÷ cos(θ) | Accelerated Stall Speed V_s' = V_s × √n = V_s × √(1 ÷ cos(θ)). - Review Results: View exact computed answers, metrics, and worked mathematical proofs.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why does stall speed increase in a steep turn?
Because total lift must support both aircraft weight and the centrifugal force in a turn ($L = W / \cos\theta$), the wing must generate more lift at the same airspeed by operating at a higher angle of attack, bringing the aircraft closer to its critical stall angle of attack.
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Authoritative Standards & Verified Reference Citations
Calculations and mathematical logic on this page are grounded in published statutory rules, regulatory standards, and official government data published by the following bodies:
CASR Part 91 general operating and flight rules, Part 121 fuel reserves, and flight crew licensing standards.
Aviation weather services, standard atmosphere (ISA) profiles, METAR/TAF aerodrome weather reports.
Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), En Route Supplement Australia (ERSA), and airspace procedures.
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Operational Scenario
Operational Scenario: Afternoon Return with Family and Approaching Last Light
You are on a private cross-country flight with your family on board, 45 minutes from home base. Last light is in 30 minutes and you do not hold a night VFR rating. Fuel on board is 40 minutes — only 10 minutes above the 30-minute final reserve for a day VFR piston aeroplane — and a line of thunderstorms is crossing your destination.
Practical Decisions
- •Name the threat: the pressure to get the family home is a threat to manage, and pressing on into darkness or weather is the error it invites.
- •Night VFR flight requires a night VFR rating (CASR 61.955). Without one, you must be on the ground before last light — the end of evening civil twilight.
- •Divert early to an en-route aerodrome that you can reach in daylight with the final reserve intact, rather than stretching fuel towards closing weather.
- •Treat cloud as a hard boundary: without instrument training, flight into cloud quickly leads to spatial disorientation and loss of control.
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