 Bank angle

The bank angle measures an aircraft's lateral tilt relative to a local horizontal reference. In the ideal fixed-wing aircraft turning model, the lift vector tilts with the vehicle. For more general motion, vehicle attitude, flight-path direction and aerodynamic force direction must be distinguished; a banked vehicle need not follow a level circle.^[ref]

For steady horizontal circular motion with negligible vertical thrust and lift tilted by $\varphi$, the force balance developed in fixed-wing aircraft gives the aerodynamic load factorAt $\varphi =60{}^{\circ }$, the required lift is twice the gravitational weight. If the maximum usable lift coefficient is held fixed, $L=\rho V^{2}S{C}_L/2$ implies the model's limiting airspeed scales asA stipulated wings-level limit of $20m/s$ therefore becomes $28.28m/s$ at this loading. This is a comparison at fixed configuration and air mass density, not a claim that a particular aircraft can sustain the required condition. Aerodynamic stall and structural limits constrain the accessible turn.

A banked glider also needs a different loading balance from the shallow straight-glide model used to define minimum sink speed. Increasing bank angle cannot be analyzed merely by rotating a drawing of its still-air trajectory. Measured performance must specify the turn condition as well as airspeed; the FAA's performance discussion illustrates how bank and loading affect glider operation.^[ref]