Chandelles: Airplane Flying Handbook Chapter 9

Handbook Reference

AFH Ch 9

9.chandelle. Chandelles

A chandelle is a maximum performance climbing turn beginning from approximately straight-and-level flight and ending at the completion of a precise 180° of turn in a wings-level, nose-high attitude at the minimum controllable airspeed. The objective is not simply to gain altitude, but to demonstrate the pilot's planning, coordination, and ability to control the airplane at varying airspeeds and attitudes throughout a smoothly executed maneuver. Chandelles are required commercial pilot training maneuvers performed in airplanes capable of safely meeting the performance demands.

Entry Requirements (per the ACS)

Select an altitude that allows the maneuver to be completed no lower than 1,500 ft AGL.
Establish the manufacturer's recommended entry airspeed, or no greater than the airplane's design maneuvering speed (Va).
Clear the area with proper visual scanning and clearing turns.
Choose a prominent reference point (or section line) on the horizon off either wing for orientation.

Execution

A chandelle is divided into two distinct 90° phases:

First 90° (Entry through the 90° point): From level flight at entry airspeed, smoothly and simultaneously roll into a coordinated bank of approximately 30°. Once the bank is established, begin a smooth, continuous application of pitch and power to start the climb. The bank angle is held constant at 30° throughout the first 90°, while the pitch attitude is steadily and progressively increased. The maximum pitch-up attitude is reached exactly at the 90° point of turn.
Second 90° (90° point to rollout): After passing the 90° point, the pitch attitude is held constant while the bank angle is slowly and smoothly rolled out at a rate that results in wings level at the 180° point. Because pitch is constant and bank is decreasing, vertical lift is increasing, the load factor is decreasing, and airspeed is bleeding off. The maneuver is completed at the minimum controllable airspeed — just above stall — wings level, on the reciprocal heading.

Power Setting

In airplanes of low power, full power is applied at the start of the pitch-up. In higher-performance airplanes, a partial power increase is made at entry and held; if full power were used at low climb speeds, the airplane could exceed pitch limits or experience excessive torque. Power remains constant from the beginning of the pitch increase through the rollout.

Coordination and Control

Throughout the maneuver, right rudder is required (in airplanes with a clockwise-rotating propeller as viewed from the cockpit) to counteract:

Torque
P-factor (which becomes pronounced as airspeed decreases and angle of attack increases)
Spiraling slipstream
Gyroscopic precession (during the pitch change)

Left chandelles generally require less right rudder than right chandelles, because in a left chandelle the bank tends to oppose the left-yawing tendency from torque. Right chandelles demand more rudder coordination as the airspeed decays.

Cross-Check Inside vs. Outside

The attitude indicator and airspeed indicator are valuable references, but the maneuver is flown primarily by outside visual reference. The pilot uses the cowling/horizon relationship to set and hold the climbing pitch attitude, and the chosen reference point off the wing (or by reference to the heading indicator) to time the rollout precisely on the 180° heading.

Common Errors

Failure to adequately clear the area before starting the maneuver.
Too shallow an initial bank, causing an excessive pitch attitude and a stall before reaching 180°.
Too steep an initial bank, resulting in failure to gain maximum altitude.
Allowing the bank angle to vary during the first 90°.
Allowing the pitch attitude to change during the second 90°.
Inadequate right rudder, producing a slipping or skidding turn and uncoordinated flight at low airspeed.
Rollout completed before or after exactly 180° of heading change.
Stalling the airplane at any point.
Failing to finish at minimum controllable airspeed (rolling out too fast).

Completion Standards

The applicant is expected to:

Maintain a coordinated, constant 30° bank during the first 90°.
Apply smooth, continuous pitch up to maximum at the 90° point, then hold pitch constant.
Begin a smooth coordinated rollout to wings level at the 180° point.
Complete rollout at an airspeed within +5/–0 knots of the airplane's stall speed warning, in a wings-level, nose-high attitude.
Resume straight-and-level flight with minimum loss of altitude.

The chandelle's value lies in teaching the commercial student to manage the airplane through changing flight regimes — increasing pitch with decreasing airspeed at constant bank, then constant pitch with decreasing bank — while maintaining coordination and aerodynamic awareness near the edge of the airplane's flight envelope.

Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask

Q1What is a chandelle and what is its purpose?

A chandelle is a maximum performance 180° climbing turn that ends in a wings-level, nose-high attitude at the minimum controllable airspeed. Its purpose is to develop the pilot's coordination, planning, and feel for the airplane at varying airspeeds and attitudes — not simply to gain altitude.

Q2Describe how bank and pitch are managed during the two phases of a chandelle.

During the first 90°, bank is held constant at approximately 30° while pitch is smoothly and continuously increased, reaching maximum pitch at the 90° point. During the second 90°, pitch is held constant while bank is smoothly rolled out, arriving wings level on the reciprocal heading at minimum controllable airspeed.

Q3Why does a chandelle require increasing right rudder pressure, and is the requirement the same in left and right chandelles?

As airspeed decreases and angle of attack increases, P-factor, torque, and spiraling slipstream all tend to yaw the nose left, requiring progressively more right rudder. A right chandelle typically demands more right rudder than a left chandelle, because in a left chandelle the bank itself helps offset the left-turning tendencies.