Figure 5-62.  Two aircraft have flown into a canyon by error. The canyon is 5,000 feet across and has sheer cliffs on both sides. The pilot  in the top image is flying at 120 knots. After realizing the error, the pilot banks hard and uses a 30 °  bank angle to reverse course. This  aircraft requires about 4,000 feet to turn 180 ° , and makes it out of the canyon safely. The pilot in the bottom image is flying at 140 knots  and also uses a 30 °  angle of bank in an attempt to reverse course. The aircraft, although flying just 20 knots faster than the aircraft in the  top image, requires over 6,000 feet to reverse course to safety. Unfortunately, the canyon is only 5,000 feet across and the aircraft will hit  the canyon wall. The point is that airspeed is the most influential factor in determining how much distance is required to turn. Many pilots  have made the error of increasing the steepness of their bank angle when a simple reduction of speed would have been more appropriate.  5-41  5 , 0 0 0 f e e t  2 0  2 0  I 0  I 0  I 0  I 0  2 0  2 0  TEST STBY PWR  2,215 feet 4,430 feet  5  ,  0  0  f  e  t  2 0  2 0  I 0  I 0  I 0  I 0  2 0  2 0  TEST STBY PWR  3,014 feet 6,028 feet  V 2  11.26 x tangent of the bank angle 30°  R =  120 2  11.26 x 0.5773  14,400  6.50096  R =  =  = 2,215 feet  V 2  11.26 x tangent of the bank angle 30°  R =  140 2  11.26 x 0.5773  19,600  6.50096  R =  =  = 3,014 feet  120 knots  140 knots 