In flight mechanics, the “radius of turn” refers to the distance from the center of a turn to the position of the aircraft at any given moment during a steady turn. It is the radius of the circular path followed by an aircraft as it turns.
- R is the radius of turn.
- v is the velocity or airspeed of the aircraft.
- g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s^2).
- n is the load factor, which represents the additional force experienced during the turn compared to level flight (n = 1 in level flight).