Learn how to make a coordinated turn in a flight simulator, read the slip/skid ball and correct common aileron, rudder and altitude errors.
A coordinated turn in a fixed-wing flight simulator uses aileron to establish bank, rudder to cancel adverse yaw, and gentle elevator back-pressure to hold altitude. Apply aileron and coordinated rudder together, ease the roll inputs towards neutral as the chosen bank is reached, and keep the slip/skid indicator centred throughout the turn.
This is the same basic control relationship used in real-world aviation and in fixed-wing simulators such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D. The required rudder pressure varies with aircraft type, power, airspeed and roll rate, so coordination is judged by the indicator rather than a fixed amount of pedal movement.
What a coordinated turn actually does
A turn is coordinated when the aircraft changes direction without slipping towards the low wing or skidding away from it. The occupants would feel the force straight down through their seats rather than sideways, although a home simulator usually cannot reproduce that physical cue.
Ailerons roll the aircraft, but they also create adverse yaw: the nose initially yaws opposite the intended roll. Rudder applied in the direction of the turn counters that yaw. Elevator then supplies the extra angle of attack needed because some lift is being used horizontally to turn the aircraft rather than vertically to support its weight.
Rudder is not the primary turning control in a conventional aeroplane. Trying to steer with rudder alone produces a skid or sideslip, while holding aileron throughout the turn often makes the bank continue increasing. For a broader introduction to these control relationships, use our beginner progression for straight flight and controlled turns.
Coordinated turn: step by step
The cleanest way to learn is in a stable trainer aircraft, in calm weather and with enough altitude to recover from a mistake.
- Stabilise and trim. Establish straight-and-level flight at a steady cruise speed. Trim away sustained pitch pressure, select a visible reference heading and check that the area is clear.
- Roll into the turn. Move the stick or yoke smoothly towards the turn and apply rudder in the same direction. A fast roll generally needs more rudder than a slow one, but the controls are coordinated rather than moved by identical amounts.
- Capture the bank angle. At about 20–30 degrees of bank, ease the aileron towards neutral and relax most of the roll-in rudder. Use only the small corrections needed to hold the bank and keep the slip/skid indicator centred.
- Hold altitude. Add gentle back-pressure as the bank develops. Check the horizon first, then altitude and airspeed. If speed decays noticeably, reduce the bank or add power rather than pulling harder indefinitely.
- Roll out on heading. Begin the rollout before reaching the target heading—roughly half the bank angle is a useful starting lead in a trainer. Apply opposite aileron with coordinated rudder, relax the back-pressure as the wings level, then neutralise the controls.
The Cessna 172 flying walkthrough provides a practical trainer-aircraft context for applying this sequence.
How do I read the slip/skid ball?
The slip/skid ball or glass-cockpit equivalent shows whether lateral acceleration is balanced during the turn.
- Ball centred: the turn is coordinated.
- Ball left: apply a small amount of left rudder.
- Ball right: apply a small amount of right rudder.
The standard mnemonic is “step on the ball”. Make small pedal corrections and wait for the indication to settle; chasing it with large alternating inputs creates an oscillation. In a steady turn, a ball towards the inside indicates a slip and a ball towards the outside indicates a skid.
Wind changes the aircraft’s path over the ground, but it does not change the meaning of the ball. Do not use rudder to force the nose around a desired ground track while ignoring coordination; adjust bank and heading instead.
Why is my turn not coordinated?
Most poor simulator turns result from excessive control movement, incorrect rudder timing or an input configuration that prevents precise pedal control.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Nose yaws opposite the roll | Too little rudder during roll-in | Add rudder in the direction of the turn as aileron is applied. |
| Ball moves outside the turn | Too much inside rudder, creating a skid | Reduce inside rudder or apply slight rudder towards the ball. |
| Altitude steadily decreases | Insufficient back-pressure, excessive bank or falling airspeed | Use a shallower bank, add measured back-pressure and monitor power. |
| Bank keeps steepening | Aileron remains held or the aircraft has an overbanking tendency | Ease the aileron towards neutral and use small opposite corrections. |
| Aircraft swings from side to side | Large rudder inputs, excessive sensitivity or input latency | Reduce sensitivity if necessary and make slower, smaller corrections. |
Disable auto-rudder or similar coordination assistance when practising manually, because it can mask poor technique or fight physical pedal inputs. Check for duplicate rudder bindings, calibrate the axis and add only enough dead zone to stop unwanted movement. If the rudder does not respond predictably, follow our rudder pedal and axis troubleshooting checks.
What bank angle should I use?
A bank of 20–30 degrees is suitable for learning coordinated turns in most light training aircraft. It produces a clear turn without demanding the larger pitch and power corrections associated with steep turns.
At a given airspeed, increasing bank makes the turn tighter and raises the turn rate. Increasing airspeed at the same bank makes the radius wider. Steeper banks also increase load factor and stall speed: at 60 degrees of bank in level flight the load factor is about 2g, so this is not an appropriate starting point.
Practise rolling left and right through 90- and 180-degree heading changes while holding altitude, airspeed and coordination. Once those remain stable, vary the roll rate, power setting and bank angle; this exposes how much rudder each aircraft actually needs instead of teaching a single memorised pedal position.