Five Twin Training Tips

Would you like to declare an emergency?” the controller asked with practiced coolness. Looking at the stopped and feathered left engine on the Cessna 310R I’d had for just 10 days, there was only one possible answer: “Yes.” Moments before, the engine had started vibrating so violently I was afraid it would shake the plane apart. I quickly feathered and shut it down, and called ATC. “Buffalo Approach, Twin Cessna 692, my left engine has failed.” So there I was, about 20 miles from my destination with only one fan turning, taken somewhat by surprise by the failure of a freshly overhauled engine. I stabilized and trimmed the plane, and with airspeed well over the blue line, I keyed in “direct to” on the GPS. Approach indicated they would inform my non-towered destination of my situation and impending arrival.

Key Takeaways:

• Multi-engine training should include extensive and varied unannounced engine failures across all flight phases, including unexpected scenarios like stall recovery, complex approaches, and climbout in simulated IMC, to prepare pilots for real-world unpredictability.
• Pilots must thoroughly memorize engine failure checklists through repetition and physical practice, making procedures second nature while always prioritizing flying the aircraft (maintaining speed, altitude, and heading).
• Practical single-engine training should extend beyond simulations to include performing approaches from unstabilized flight conditions and, ideally, executing an actual single-engine landing to build critical confidence and proficiency.

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