I totally agree that pilots need to practice engine out landings. Here are a few cautionary considerations to bring into your “practice preparation.”
An engine at idle is not the same as a stopped engine. Drag will be higher with a real dead engine.
Obtain best glide speed smoothly. Abrupt control movements waste energy. It’s my opinion you do this first and then check fuel and if possible try to restart you engine.
Do not extend flaps until you know the landing is assured. Flaps add more drag than lift in my opinion. Being “on speed” is important but I’d rather have a little too much airspeed than not enough. Becoming distracted trying to restart a failed engine or align your aircraft with your point of intended landing can cost you valuable airspeed at a critical phase of flight. Airspeed is your friend so protect it!
I agree in a no wind condition it will normally take approximately 500 feet to complete a 180 degree turn but that does not guarantee you will be lined up with the runway or landing area your targeting. If your pattern is wide, winds are a factor, or your turn is delayed then you will need to adjust your plan accordingly.
Remember, it takes more time to safely execute a go around from an engine at idle during a practice dead engine landing. At idle power, the time requirement for a go around is greater than it is if you’re flying an instrument or visual approach at normal power settings.
I recommend using 200 feet AGL as your minimum decision altitude. I surprised myself once when practicing an engine out landing in stronger winds and a slightly delay downwind 1,000 foot AGL turn by making the go around decision a little late. The aircraft still descended while I was maintaining “on speed” waiting for the engine to spool up to safely stop my descent and climb out - short of the runway! Not comfortable. That is one reason why practicing engine out landings are important - but even a practice event can turn ugly if you haven’t thoroughly thought through the event before you begin it.
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Jim Harris, RV7A, 2nd owner, N523RM
IO-360, Hartzel CS prop, Older Aerotronics built panel Dual GRT Horizon WS, GRT EIS, Garmin 340, 335, Dual 430s, FlightBox hard wired to WS, Dynon D10A with internal battery (backup EFIS)
Retired - Living the dream - And going broke!
Last edited by Tankerpilot75 : 01-08-2019 at 08:45 PM.
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