A lazy eight is a commercial pilot performance maneuver made of two 180° turns in opposite directions, each one climbing for the first 90° and descending for the second 90°, so the airplane’s nose traces a figure eight lying on its side across the horizon. To pass it on the checkride you need about 30° of bank at the steepest point and, at each 180° point, altitude within 100 feet of entry altitude, airspeed within 10 knots of entry airspeed and heading within 10°, all in coordinated flight (FAA-S-ACS-7B, Area V, Task D).
Part of our Flight Maneuvers guide. This page is educational and is not a substitute for instruction from a certificated flight instructor.
What a lazy eight is and why you fly it
The FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C) describes the lazy eight as a maneuver designed to develop proper coordination of the flight controls across a wide range of airspeeds and attitudes. It also calls it the only standard flight training maneuver in which flight control pressures are constantly changing. Pitch, bank, airspeed and rate of turn are always moving, so you can never set an attitude and wait.
The easiest way to picture it is to start with S-turns, one of the private pilot ground reference maneuvers: a 180° turn one way, then a 180° turn the other way. A lazy eight adds a climb to the first 90° of each turn and a descent to the second 90°. From the cockpit, think of the airplane’s longitudinal axis as a pencil pointed at the horizon. Through both turns it draws a symmetrical eight lying on its side, with parts of the loops above and below the horizon.
The lazy eight, point by point
Before you start, pick prominent reference points on the natural horizon at 45°, 90° and 135° from your entry heading. These are the targets for each 180° turn, from Chapter 10 of the AFH:
| Point | Pitch | Bank | Airspeed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Level | Wings level | Entry speed |
| 45° | Maximum nose-up | About 15°, increasing | Decreasing |
| 90° | Passing through level | About 30° (maximum) | Lowest, about 5 to 10 knots above stall |
| 135° | Maximum nose-down | About 15°, decreasing | Increasing |
| 180° | Level | Wings level | Entry speed, at entry altitude |
How to fly a lazy eight, step by step
- Clear the area and plan your altitude. Make clearing turns and choose an altitude that keeps the whole maneuver at or above 1,500 feet AGL, the ACS floor.
- Set up the entry. Configure the airplane as your POH recommends and set power for the entry airspeed. The AFH says not to enter faster than the manufacturer recommends, which is generally no greater than design maneuvering speed (VA) or operating maneuvering speed (VO). Our V-speeds guide explains both.
- Climb toward the 45° point. Begin a gradual climbing turn with a slow roll rate, planned so the maximum pitch-up attitude arrives at the 45° reference with about 15° of bank. As the nose rises the airplane slows and the rate of turn increases, so rolling in too fast gets you to the 45° point before the pitch has peaked.
- Float over the top at 90°. Past 45°, let the nose come down slowly toward the horizon while the bank keeps increasing. At the 90° point the bank reaches about 30°, the airspeed is at its minimum and the nose passes through level.
- Keep it moving. Do not hesitate at the 90° point. Continue into a descending turn, rolling out slowly as the nose lowers, so the lowest pitch attitude comes at the 135° point.
- Arrive level at 180°. Approaching 180°, progressively relax rudder and aileron pressure while raising the nose and rolling the wings level. Watch how much turn remains and adjust your roll rate and pitch so the wings and nose are level, at the original airspeed, just as you reach the 180° point.
- Reverse immediately. Start a climbing turn in the opposite direction right away and fly the second half the same way. On a checkride, continue for the number of symmetrical loops the examiner asks for, then return to straight-and-level flight.
Rudder, power and energy
Coordination is the heart of the maneuver. As the airplane slows in each climb, left-turning tendencies such as P-factor grow, so you need progressively more right rudder in both the right and left turns. The demand is greatest when you roll right at low airspeed and high power, because the adverse yaw from right aileron adds to P-factor. Rolling left, the two partly cancel and you need less right rudder. As speed builds in each descending half, ease off the right rudder. Near the 90° point you may also need slight opposite aileron to keep the wings from overbanking.
Power sets the energy balance. The AFH notes that if you use more power than your bank angle calls for, you finish the maneuver higher than you started; with too little, you finish lower. So once your pitch and bank pattern is consistent, an altitude error that repeats at every 180° point is your cue to adjust power.
Fly it by the horizon, not the panel. The AFH lists performing the maneuver by reference to the flight instruments rather than visual references as a common error. Check airspeed and altitude at the 90° and 180° points, then get your eyes back outside to your reference points and to traffic.
ACS standards for lazy eights
Lazy eights are Task D in Area of Operation V (Performance Maneuvers and Ground Reference Maneuvers) of the Commercial Pilot for Airplane Category ACS, FAA-S-ACS-7B, effective May 31, 2024 and still the current edition. The skill elements are:
- Clear the area.
- Select an altitude that allows the maneuver to be performed no lower than 1,500 feet AGL.
- Establish the recommended entry configuration, power and airspeed.
- Maintain coordinated flight throughout the maneuver.
- Fly approximately 30° of bank at the steepest point, with a constant change of pitch, roll rate and airspeed.
- At the 180° point, be within 100 feet of entry altitude, 10 knots of entry airspeed and 10° of the target heading.
- Continue through the number of symmetrical loops specified, then resume straight-and-level flight.
The examiner also tests knowledge (aerodynamics, coordination, performance and airspeed limitations, and the phases of the maneuver) and risk management, including energy management, uncoordinated flight and accelerated stalls. For an initial commercial certificate with a single-engine land or sea rating, the ACS has the examiner select either chandelles or lazy eights, so prepare both (see our chandelle guide). Multiengine applicants fly only steep turns from this Area of Operation.
What you'll need
The handbook, standards and oral exam prep for your commercial checkride, from PilotMall.com.
Common lazy eight errors
The AFH lists these as the common errors. Most come from planning, coordination or looking inside the cockpit.
- Uneven halves. The maneuver is not symmetrical across each 180°, usually because of ineffective planning or poorly chosen or ignored 45°, 90° and 135° references.
- Altitude creep. Gaining or losing altitude at each 180° point. The AFH ties this to power: too much for your bank angle and you climb, too little and you sink.
- Falling through the horizon. Poor control at the top of each climb lets the pitch drop rapidly through the horizon instead of flowing through level at 90°.
- Missing the numbers. Airspeed or bank angle standards not met.
- Rough or uncoordinated controls. Control roughness and poor coordination, the very things the maneuver is meant to cure.
- Stalling or flattening it. Stalling at any point, or flying a steep turn instead of a climbing and descending maneuver.
- Heads down. Not clearing the area, not scanning for other traffic, or flying by instruments instead of outside references.
Where the lazy eight fits in commercial training
The lazy eight is one of five tasks in Area V of the commercial ACS, alongside steep turns, the steep spiral, chandelles and eights on pylons. On the landing side, the commercial ACS adds the power-off 180 accuracy approach, which the private ACS does not include. Under Part 61, this training counts toward the 20 hours of training on the commercial areas of operation in 14 CFR 61.129(a)(3); see our commercial pilot requirements.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lazy eight in flying?
A lazy eight is a commercial pilot performance maneuver made of two 180° turns in opposite directions, each climbing for the first 90° and descending for the second 90°. The airplane’s nose traces a figure eight lying on its side across the horizon, and pitch, bank and airspeed change constantly throughout.
What are the ACS standards for lazy eights?
FAA-S-ACS-7B requires an altitude that keeps the maneuver no lower than 1,500 feet AGL, coordinated flight, about 30° of bank at the steepest point, and at each 180° point altitude within 100 feet of entry, airspeed within 10 knots of entry and heading within 10°.
How much bank do you use in a lazy eight?
About 30° at the steepest point, which comes at the 90° point of each turn. The Airplane Flying Handbook shows about 15° at the 45° and 135° points and wings level at the entry and 180° points.
What airspeed do you use for lazy eights?
Use the manufacturer’s recommended entry speed, which the Airplane Flying Handbook says is generally no greater than VA or VO. Airspeed is lowest at the 90° point, about 5 to 10 knots above stall, and should be back at entry speed at the 180° point.
Is the lazy eight on every commercial checkride?
Not always. For an initial commercial certificate with a single-engine land or sea rating, the ACS has the examiner choose either chandelles or lazy eights, so you must be ready for both. Multiengine applicants fly only steep turns from this area of operation.
Why is it called a lazy eight?
Because the airplane’s nose slowly draws a figure eight lying on its side across the horizon. The FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook says the sensation of slowly drawing that symbol gives the maneuver its name.