Before you turn, look in the direction you will be turning to ensure the path is clear of other pilots or obstacles. The action of turning your head will also serve as a turn signal to other pilots in the area and let them know which direction you intend to turn. Once you have determined the airspace is clear, shift your weight to the side of the harness you want to turn toward. Keep looking into the turn! Shifting your weight will allow you to use less brake input and make the turn more efficient. You should use weight shift in your turns as much as possible. Once you have looked and leaned in the direction you want to turn, add a bit of brake input and hold it. The glider should come around smoothly and you will be able to adjust the turn with the amount of brake input you use. Always keep some brake pressure on the outside control toggle/brake as well to maintain active piloting and keep the glider from diving into the turn. As you reach the desired heading ease up on the weight shift and brake input to transition back to straight and level flight.
It is important to realize that you can turn your glider without any brake input at all. You will be required to demonstrate turning the glider with weight shift only. As pilots gain experience it is common to see less weight shift in their turns - this is not a good thing. Always use weight shift when initiating any turn - not only will it help keep your turn more efficient, but it will also telegraph to other pilots around you what direction you are turning.
Turns are an excellent way to lose altitude. The steeper the turn, the more altitude you will lose. When close to the ground you should only make turns with a low bank angle (flat turns) to avoid losing altitude too quickly. Never make sharp turns close to the ground. Sharp turns can build up a lot of energy and speed and you won’t enjoy dissipating that energy into the ground.
There are several types of turns, but the one you will be using most during your training are S-turns. Later you will learn figure-8 and 360° turns. S-turns are course adjustments of up to 180° though may be far less. During an S-turn you are always in a position to straighten your course toward the landing zone and into the wind. The closer to the ground you are, the shallower your turns should be. Full 180° turns should not be done close to the ground.
Figure-8 turns are very similar to 180° s-turns except you continue the turn back over a fixed spot on the ground. This keeps you from moving toward your landing area and potentially overshooting. Holding your position at one end of the landing zone may be important if you arrive with a lot of excess altitude. When you are at an appropriate level you may transition to s-turns, then shallow s-turns, final glide, and landing.
360° turns are useful when you have a lot of altitude to expend over your landing zone or are intentionally working lift or “thermal flying”. When making 360° turns, it is important to pay attention to your drift and be alert for obstacles. If there is any wind, it will affect the shape of your 360 relative to the ground. Your flight path will be shorter when facing into the wind, and longer when facing downwind. This is of particular importance when there are obstacles like mountains downwind of you. For this reason, you will only do a 360° when you are far from any obstacles. However, 360° turns can be useful for determining wind direction over a landing zone. By monitoring your drift over a landing zone while doing 360° turns you can determine the wind direction. You will always drift downwind. You initiate a 360° turn the same as a 180° turn but hold it through 360°. You shouldn’t need to use more than half of your overall brake travel.
As a new pilot, you should never perform 360’s close to the ground. They can burn a lot of altitude quickly and are easy to misjudge. If you apply too much brake and perform too steep a turn, you can build up a lot of speed and may become dizzy or disoriented. Too much brake input on the inside may also cause the inside wingtip’s angle of attack to become too high and stall, causing a spin (see “spins” in Risk Management). Be cautious making turns away from the landing area. If you aren’t paying attention, it’s easy to lose too much altitude and not make it back to your intended landing area.
When approaching any landing zone you will most likely have excess altitude that you will need to burn off in order to land accurately. The best way to lose altitude without overshooting your landing zone is to make turns. By adding brake input the angle of attack is increased on that side of the wing. The increased drag will slow down that side like an oar in the water. The opposite side will continue flying at its original speed, resulting in a turn. Basic turning is easily accomplished by pulling the appropriate brake until the desired rate and amount of turn is reached.