{{Unreferenced, date=July 2008
Skid-to-turn is an aeronautical vehicle reference for how such a vehicle may be turned. It applies to vehicles such as aircraft and missiles. In skid-to-turn, the vehicle does not roll to a preferred angle. Instead commands to the control surfaces are mixed to produce the maneuver in the desired direction. This is distinct from the coordinated turn used by aircraft pilots. For instance, a vehicle flying horizontally may be turned in the horizontal plane by the application of rudder controls to place the body at a
sideslip angle
A slip is an aerodynamic state where an aircraft is moving ''somewhat'' sideways as well as forward relative to the oncoming airflow or relative wind. In other words, for a conventional aircraft, the nose will be pointing in the opposite directio ...
relative to the airflow. This sideslip flow then produces a force in the horizontal plane to turn the vehicle's
velocity vector
Velocity is the directional speed of an object in motion as an indication of its rate of change in position as observed from a particular frame of reference and as measured by a particular standard of time (e.g. northbound). Velocity is a ...
. The benefit of the skid-to-turn maneuver is that it can be performed much quicker than a coordinated turn. This is useful when trying to correct for small errors. The disadvantage occurs if the vehicle has greater maneuverability in one body plane than another. In that case the turns are less efficient and either consume greater thrust or cause a greater loss of
aircraft specific energy
Aircraft-specific energy is a form of specific energy applied to aircraft and missile trajectory analysis. It represents the combined kinetic energy, kinetic and potential energy of the vehicle at any given time. It is the total energy of the vehi ...
than coordinated turns.
See also
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Skid steer
A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSLs or skidsteer is a small, rigid-frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments.
Skid-steer loaders are typically four-whee ...