A chandelle is a maximum-performance 180-degree climbing turn that starts from approximately straight-and-level flight and finishes wings-level in a nose-high attitude at minimum controllable airspeed, just above a stall. It trades airspeed for the greatest altitude gain possible in a 180-degree change of direction, and it does so while you hold precise pitch, bank, and rudder coordination the whole way around. Commercial students learn it because it packs planning, energy management, and fine control into one continuous maneuver.
Part of our Flight Maneuvers guide.
What is a chandelle?
A chandelle is a smooth, continuous 180-degree climbing turn flown at the maximum performance the airplane can deliver. You begin at a manufacturer-recommended entry speed with the wings level, roll into a moderate bank, and progressively raise the nose so the airplane climbs and turns at the same time. By the 90-degree point the pitch attitude is at its highest and the bank is set. Through the second 90 degrees you hold that pitch and roll the wings level, arriving at the 180-degree point nose-high and slow, right at minimum controllable airspeed.
The word “maximum-performance” is the key idea. A chandelle is not about turning as steeply as possible or climbing as fast as possible in isolation. It is about extracting the most altitude the airplane can gain while reversing direction, all while the airspeed decays in a controlled, predictable way. The maneuver looks graceful when it is flown correctly, but every second of it demands attention to attitude, coordination, and the trend of the airspeed needle.
Unlike a steep turn, where you hold a fixed bank and altitude, a chandelle is constantly changing. Bank goes on, then comes off. Pitch rises, then holds. Airspeed falls the entire time. That continuous change is exactly what makes it a good test of a developing commercial pilot.
Why the commercial ACS tests it
The commercial ACS tests the chandelle because it exposes a pilot’s planning, coordination, and control of the airplane near the edge of the flight envelope. It is a training and evaluation maneuver rather than a practical procedure you would fly on a normal trip. What it develops, though, is directly useful. Flying a good chandelle means managing changing airspeed, holding coordination with the rudder as the nose comes up and the airplane slows, and planning ahead so the airplane arrives wings-level at exactly 180 degrees just as it reaches minimum controllable airspeed.
As the airplane slows, several things change at once. The controls grow less effective, the airplane needs more right rudder in most trainers as power and pitch increase, and the margin above the stall shrinks. A pilot who can hold heading references, keep the ball centered, and place the wings level at the target point while riding just above a stall has shown real command of the airplane. That is why examiners like the maneuver: it is hard to fake, and small errors in coordination or planning show up immediately.
Step by step: the two-phase procedure
A chandelle is built from two clear halves. The first 90 degrees is about setting the bank and raising the nose. The second 90 degrees is about holding the pitch and rolling the wings level at precisely the right moment. Fly it as one continuous, smooth motion rather than two separate events.
- Clear the area and enter at the recommended entry speed from straight-and-level flight, then smoothly roll into about 30 degrees of bank.
- As the bank stabilizes, begin a slow, continuous increase in pitch, adding power (or setting the recommended climb power) and holding coordination with rudder.
- Continue raising the nose so that the highest pitch attitude is reached at the 90-degree point, where the bank is still about 30 degrees and the airspeed is decreasing steadily.
- At 90 degrees, stop increasing pitch and hold the nose-high attitude, then begin a slow, constant-rate rollout of the bank.
- Keep the pitch essentially fixed through the second 90 degrees while the airspeed continues to bleed off toward minimum controllable airspeed.
- Time the rollout so the wings are exactly level at the 180-degree point, with the nose high and the airplane just above a stall, then lower the nose smoothly to return to normal cruising flight.
The most common way to think about it: pitch keeps changing in the first half, bank keeps changing in the second half. If you find yourself still rolling out early or still pitching up late, the halves have blurred together and the finish will not line up.
Entry speed and setup
Enter a chandelle at the manufacturer’s recommended speed, which is often design maneuvering speed or a speed near the top of the green arc. Always defer to the numbers in your airplane’s POH, because entry speed and recommended power settings vary by model. Entering too fast makes the maneuver sloppy and stretches it out. Entering too slow leaves you with too little energy to trade, so the climb stalls before you reach 180 degrees.
Set up with the same discipline you would bring to any maneuver. Complete clearing turns, pick prominent ground references or a heading 90 and 180 degrees from your entry so you can judge your progress, and confirm you are at a safe altitude that allows a full recovery. Trim for the entry speed, then leave the trim alone and fly the attitude with pitch pressure. In a fixed-pitch trainer you typically advance to climb power as you raise the nose. In a constant-speed-propeller airplane, set the propeller and manifold pressure per the POH before you begin.
Common errors
The errors that cost points are predictable, and most of them come from letting one control get ahead of the other.
- Over-banking. Letting the bank creep past about 30 degrees turns the maneuver into a climbing steep turn and cuts the altitude gain. Set the bank early in the first 90 degrees and hold it.
- Ballooning or pitching too aggressively. Yanking the nose up early bleeds airspeed too fast and can trigger an early stall before you reach 180 degrees. Raise the nose in a slow, continuous motion.
- Rolling out early or late. If the wings are level before 180 degrees you finish with excess airspeed and bank to spare. If you are still banked past 180 degrees you have missed the target. Begin the rollout at the 90-degree point and pace it so it finishes exactly on heading.
- Poor coordination. Forgetting rudder as the airplane slows lets the ball slide out, which is both a control error and a stall/spin risk near minimum controllable airspeed. Keep the ball centered throughout.
- Not tracking a reference. Flying the maneuver by feel alone makes the 90 and 180-degree points guesswork. Use ground references or the heading indicator to know where you are in the turn.
- Finishing above or below minimum controllable airspeed. Arriving fast means you did not use the full performance of the airplane. Arriving stalled means you overdid the pitch. The finish should sit right at the stall warning, not through it.
Where it fits in commercial training
The chandelle belongs to the commercial pilot certificate, not the private. You will not see it on a private checkride, so most pilots meet it for the first time while polishing their stick-and-rudder skills for the commercial rating. It sits alongside other commercial performance maneuvers such as steep turns, lazy eights, eights on pylons, and steep spirals, and it pairs naturally with the coordination work you already practiced in ground reference maneuvers.
Treat the chandelle as a maneuver you build up to. Get comfortable flying the airplane at minimum controllable airspeed and recognizing the onset of a stall first, then add the climbing turn on top of that foundation. When the two halves click together and you can plant the wings level at 180 degrees on speed, on heading, and coordinated, you will have the smooth energy management the commercial ACS is looking for.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a chandelle?
A chandelle is a maximum-performance 180-degree climbing turn that begins from approximately straight-and-level flight and finishes wings-level in a nose-high attitude at minimum controllable airspeed, just above a stall. It trades airspeed for the most altitude gain possible in a 180-degree change of direction while holding precise coordination and airspeed control.
What is the purpose of a chandelle?
The purpose of a chandelle is to demonstrate a pilot’s planning, coordination, and control of the airplane at the edge of its flight envelope. It is a training and testing maneuver rather than a practical procedure, developing smooth pitch and bank control, rudder coordination through changing airspeed, and the judgment to arrive wings-level at exactly 180 degrees just above stall speed.
How many degrees of bank in a chandelle?
A chandelle uses about 30 degrees of bank, established during the first 90 degrees and held constant until the rollout begins. The bank is not the graded target the way it is in steep turns. The maneuver tests your ability to hold that bank while progressively raising the nose, then roll out smoothly so the wings are level exactly at the 180-degree point.
What airspeed do you finish a chandelle at?
You finish a chandelle at minimum controllable airspeed, meaning just above the stall, with the airplane wings-level and nose-high at the 180-degree point. The airplane should be on the verge of a stall warning but not stalled, and you then lower the nose to recover to normal cruising flight.
Is the chandelle on the commercial checkride?
Yes, the chandelle is a required maneuver on the Commercial Pilot ACS and is evaluated on the commercial checkride. It is not part of the private pilot certificate, so most pilots learn it while training for the commercial certificate, where the examiner grades planning, coordination, and airspeed and attitude control.