gliding back to your departure airport

Martin Hotze writes:

My examiner showed me at the ppl exam some 180 degree turns with a
C172 at climb-out speed and he lost less than 100ft altitude.

A standard-rate 180-degree turn takes one minute, so even ignoring the
higher wing loading in the turn, a power-off descent rate of less than
100 fpm doesn't make sense for a 172. Which climb-out speed was he
using, Vx, Vy, or enroute climb? If he had enough extra speed, he
could have traded some of it for altitude, but that runs out pretty
fast.


All the best,


David