Prepare for Chandelles | Lesson Prep

Your CFI's syllabus and your airplane's POH come first. This page is a general study aid to help you show up prepared.

What you'll do

Clear the area; enter at the recommended speed and altitude (finish no lower than 1,500 ft AGL).
Roll into about 30° of bank, then apply power and pitch up smoothly.
First 90°: constant bank, increasing pitch. Airspeed bleeds continuously.
Second 90°: hold pitch constant and roll out at a constant rate, finishing at the 180° point just above stall.
Hold that speed momentarily, then return to straight-and-level with minimum altitude loss.

Quoted from the current FAA Airman Certification Standards for each level that tests this.

Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B)Task CA.V.C · Chandelles (ASEL, ASES)

Clear the area.
Select an altitude that allows the maneuver to be performed no lower than 1,500 feet above ground level (AGL).
Establish the appropriate entry configuration, power, and airspeed.
Establish the angle of bank at approximately 30°.
Simultaneously apply power and pitch to maintain a smooth, coordinated climbing turn, in either direction, to the 90° point, with a constant bank and continuously decreasing airspeed.
Begin a coordinated constant rate rollout from the 90° point to the 180° point maintaining power and a constant pitch attitude.
Complete rollout at the 180° point, ±10° just above a stall airspeed, and maintaining that airspeed momentarily avoiding a stall.
Resume a straight-and-level flight with minimum loss of altitude.

The official chapters behind this page. Each link opens the exact chapter, free on faa.gov. See the full Study Library.

Visualize the two halves: 'bank constant, pitch increasing' then 'pitch constant, bank decreasing'.
Pick a 180° reference point before entry.