How does weight affect the turning performance of an aircraft?

Weight plays a significant role in various aspects of an aircraft's performance, including turning performance. When considering how weight affects turning performance, it's important to understand the relationships between weight, turn radius, turn rate, and stall speed.

In terms of turn radius, a heavier aircraft typically requires a larger radius to maintain a level turn because it needs more lift, generated by higher bank angles and increased load factors. Additionally, increasing weight can reduce the maximum bank angle before reaching a critical angle of attack, thus directly impacting the turning performance.

Moreover, in a banked turn, an increase in weight necessitates higher lift to counteract the gravitational force. This increase can lead to a higher stall speed, as the aircraft must maintain a higher airspeed to achieve the required lift for the increased weight.

The accurate understanding here is that increased weight negatively impacts the aircraft's turning ability by increasing the turn radius and reducing the turn rate, while also affecting stall characteristics.

With this context, the assertion that weight has zero effect is not accurate. The impact of weight on turning performance is multifaceted and affects how an aircraft maneuvers through the air.