A method of controlling a bucket wheel excavator whose bucket wheel rotating at a preferably constant speed is pivoted at an angle speed (w) over a pivot angle (φ) by means of a bucket wheel boom pivot drive and in so doing places removed material on a removal conveyor, comprising the following steps: - after completion of a pivot over the pivot angle (φ) with material removal, an advance movement of the bucket wheel excavator by means of its undercarriage toward the rock mass to be removed with a detection of the implemented advance distance (s n); - pivoting the bucket wheel boom in a further pivot cycle with a determination of the pivot angle speed (ω act) over the pivot angle (φ) and of the mass flow and/or volume flow (mact, v act) adopted on the removal conveyor over the pivot angle (φ); - after completion of this pivot, an advance movement of the bucket wheel excavator by means of its undercarriage toward the rock mass to be removed with a detection of the implemented advance distance (s n+1); - specifying a preferably constant wanted desired mass flow and/or volume flow (m des, v des) on the removal conveyor; - automatically correcting the pivot angle speed (ω act) determined in the last pivot cycle in dependence on the pivot angle (φ) using the mass flow and/or volume flow (m act, v act) previously determined over the pivot angle (φ), the desired mass and/or volume flow (m des, v des),the immediately previously implemented advance distance (s n+1), and the advance distance (s n) implemented before the last pivot so that the adopted mass flow and/or volume flow (mact, v act) are close to the wanted desired mass flow and/or volume flow (m des, v des); and - pivoting the bucket wheel boom in a further pivot cycle at the corrected pivot angle speed (ω des) in dependence on the pivot angle (φ). - after completion of a pivot over the pivot angle (φ) with material removal, an advance movement of the bucket wheel excavator by means of its undercarriage toward the rock mass to be removed with a detection of the implemented advance distance (s n); - pivoting the bucket wheel boom in a further pivot cycle with a determination of the pivot angle speed (ω act) over the pivot angle (φ) and of the mass flow and/or volume flow (mact, v act) adopted on the removal conveyor over the pivot angle (φ); - after completion of this pivot, an advance movement of the bucket wheel excavator by means of its undercarriage toward the rock mass to be removed with a detection of the implemented advance distance (s n+1); - specifying a preferably constant wanted desired mass flow and/or volume flow (m des, v des) on the removal conveyor; - automatically correcting the pivot angle speed (ω act) determined in the last pivot cycle in dependence on the pivot angle (φ) using the mass flow and/or volume flow (m act, v act) previously determined over the pivot angle (φ), the desired mass and/or volume flow (m des, v des),the immediately previously implemented advance distance (s n+1), and the advance distance (s n) implemented before the last pivot so that the adopted mass flow and/or volume flow (mact, v act) are close to the wanted desired mass flow and/or volume flow (m des, v des); and - pivoting the bucket wheel boom in a further pivot cycle at the corrected pivot angle speed (ω des) in dependence on the pivot angle (φ).