The pattern involves flying downwind between the pylons  and upwind outside of the pylons. It may include a short  period of straight-and-level flight while proceeding  diagonally from one pylon to the other. The pylons should  be on a line perpendicular to the wind. The maneuver should  be started with the airplane on a downwind heading when  passing equally between the pylons. The distance between  the pylons and the wind velocity determines the initial angle  of bank required to maintain a constant turn radius from the  pylons during each turn. The steepest banks are necessary just  after each turn entry and just before the rollout from each turn  where the airplane is headed downwind and the groundspeed  is highest; the shallowest banks are when the airplane is  headed directly upwind and the groundspeed is lowest. To successfully perform eights along a ground reference,  the pilot must be able to smoothly and accurately coordinate  changes in bank angle to maintain a constant radius turn and  counteract drift. The speed in which the pilot can anticipate  these corrections directly affects the accuracy of the overall  maneuver and the amount of attention that can be directed  toward scanning for outside hazards and instrument indications. This maneuver is a variation of eights along a road and  involves the same principles and techniques. The primary  difference is that at the completion of each loop of the figure  eight, the airplane should cross an intersection of a specific  ground reference point.  [Figure 6-8] The loops should be across the road and the wind should be  perpendicular to the loops. Each time the reference is crossed,  the crossing angle should be the same, and the wings of the  airplane should be level. The eights may also be performed  by rolling from one bank immediately to the other, directly  over the reference. As in other ground reference maneuvers, the rate at which  the bank angle must change depends on the wind velocity. If  the airplane proceeds diagonally from one turn to the other,  the rollout from each turn must be completed on the proper  heading with sufficient wind correction angle to ensure that  after brief straight-and-level flight, the airplane arrives at the  point where a turn of the same radius can be made around  the other pylon. The straight-and-level flight segments must  be tangent to both circular patterns. Eights around pylons is a ground-reference maneuver with  the same principles and techniques of correcting for wind drift  as used in turns around a point and the same objectives as  other ground track maneuvers. Eights around pylons utilizes  two ground reference points called “pylons.” Turns around  each pylon are made in opposite directions to follow a ground  track in the form of a figure 8.  [Figure 6-9] Common errors in the performance of elementary eights are: Figure 6-8.  Eights across a road. 6-13 Wind Shallowest bank Shallower bank Steepest bank Steeping bank Steeper bank Shallowest bank Shallower bank Steepest bank Eights Around Pylons Eights Across A Road • Failure to adequately clear the area above, below,  and on either side of the airplane for safety hazards,  initially and throughout the maneuver. • Poor selection of ground references.