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). <EOS>