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:

• The author successfully managed a real twin-engine failure due to prior training, but identified critical gaps in standard multi-engine instruction.
• Key recommendations for multi-engine pilots include extensive practice of unexpected engine failures in all flight phases, rigorous memorization of emergency procedures, and prioritizing aircraft control during emergencies.
• The article emphasizes practicing single-engine approaches and climbouts in challenging, varied scenarios, and encourages performing at least one actual single-engine landing during training.

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