Which force provides the inward pull toward the center of a turning flight path?

• A. Centrifugal force
• B. Centripetal force
• C. Gravitational force
• D. Aerodynamic drag

Answer: (B)

To make a turn, the aircraft must accelerate toward the center of its circular path. That inward acceleration is produced by centripetal force—the net force toward the center. In a banked turn, the lift vector tilts inward, and its horizontal component points toward the center, providing the centripetal force needed to keep the flight path curved. The vertical component of lift still balances weight, so the aircraft remains in coordinated flight, while gravity itself doesn’t pull the plane toward the turn’s center and drag doesn’t contribute to the inward pull. The idea of centrifugal force is a fictitious effect in a rotating frame; in the actual inertial frame, the inward pull is the centripetal force coming from the horizontal component of lift (the net inward force).