For your comfort and safety; and that of your passenger; you must coordinate flight controls (as discussed earlier in this chapter) to make sure you not only bank (roll) the wings, but also move (yaw) the rudder for the most efficient turn. The turn coordinator helps you do this.
The turn coordinator is actually two instruments. The turn indicator component is another gyroscopic instrument. It helps you visualize that the plane is turning by showing you an airplane tipping its wings. Another part of the turn coordinator is the yaw indicator. It looks like a small carpenter’s level you would find in a hardware store. Your job is to keep the black ball in the center of the indicator.
Together, the turn coordinator; also called the turn-and-bank indicator; helps you make smooth turns at a rate of 3 degrees per second. That means it will take 60 seconds or 1 minute to make a coordinated turn of 180 degrees.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
-- Andre Gide
