The 30 degrees applies to powered aircraft, not gliders.

Oh, give me a break!! The 30 degree bank applies to NOTHING!

As a DPE I see too many pilots who fly by rules like that. I've failed a few of them for lack of good judgement and misuse of the rudder. They keep the bank under thirty and try to increase the rate of turn with rudder! Classic cross-control turn to final, pull back on the elevator because the nose is dropping and we spin. Whee!!

1. The aircraft doesn't fly any differently in a 30 degree bank in the pattern or 1000 feet higher. Basically the same can be said of any other bank angle you choose without going beyond the extremes (45-60 degrees).

2. If you're flying faster it takes more bank to make the same rate of turn..

3. Clearance between the wing tip and the ground is the only thing that limits the bank in the pattern and "most" of the time we're on final with the wings mostly level close to the ground.

Putting it all together: Use the bank angle that allows you to make the heading change you need. If you chose to fly a close-in pattern you'll need a steeper bank angle to make the corners without overshooting the final.

We seem to have no problem doing 45 degree banks during rope-break practice, but tell the student they shouldn't do that if the need arises at altitudes above that? Baloney!

Stepping down from the soapbox,

Mike