Engine Failure Proficiency
I read with interest your March Remarks, “Staying Proficient.” As a CFI, one of the things I enjoy doing is teaching at regional safety seminars put on by one of the major type-owner groups. One almost-universal weakness I find among these single-engine pilots is a lack of an ability to properly and safely handle a (simulated, but most likely also real) engine failure.
I’ve given the causes of this a lot of thought and I can only come up with the obvious: These are low-probability events for which it is difficult to realistically train. Most in-airplane simulated engine failures are caused by the instructor simply pulling the power or possibly even pulling the mixture. These are obvious causes that obviate the need for realistic troubleshooting. A braver instructor might surreptitiously switch off the fuel, but that has its own risks. So, I believe that most in-airplane simulations of an engine failure lack sufficient realism and they certainly can’t trigger the life-or-death struggle of an actual engine failure with its potential catastrophic results.
