I am pleased to hear so much reference to energy management in the posts these days. Even with my garbled speech and misspelled writing, the picture in my head has communicated to be the picture is your heads.

We would be unwise, however to underestimate the power of the dark side of indoctrination and repetition in the development of muscle memory. The very valuable level turn to heading on instruments is so ingrained and so dangerous in low contact flying.

The highly standardized and mild turns to heading, so safe in instrument flying, are not appropriate in low contact flying. Consider the spray or patrol pilot's muscle memory. He will spend every minute of every day, every pipeline mile, making energy management turns. All turns will be turns to target. No turns will be turns to heading. Far targets or small wiggles in the pipeline will be shallow energy management turns. Near targets will require steep energy management turns. Maximum energy but no load factor.

All this is of minimal use to those who fly high and use big, safe even with poor technique, traffic patterns. Energy management turns are critical for sale maneuvering flight including canyon turn back.