Engine out!” After climbing through 8400 feet msl, the engine’s hum became a sputter and I immediately set to work. I pulled back on the yoke until the sky filled the windscreen and danced on the rudder pedals to keep the wings level. The nose bobbed up and down as I fought for the highest angle of attack without stalling the plane. The propeller slowed until I could easily count the blades passing by and finally came to a halt. Things got quiet.
I lowered the nose to pick up 60 knots and as the altimeter needle swept through 8000 feet msl, yelled, “Time!” Directing all my attention to keep the airspeed at 60 knots, I reminded myself to breathe as I often do when I’m concentrating on getting something just right. The altimeter smoothly unwound and passed through 7200 feet msl. “Stop!” Bill clicked his stopwatch. Mixture – FULL RICH, throttle – CLOSED. I yelled, “Clear!” and hit the starter. After easing the throttle back to full, we heard the engine hum once again and chuckled as we made our way up to altitude for many more glides.
