I had engine failure in a Beech Musketeer a couple years ago. Was only 1500 ft AGL. Not much time to diagnose problem but oil pressure had taken significant drop so I turned towards the field. I was about six miles out. Engine quit within a few seconds after the turn. I immediately set best glide speed. There was major highway with lots of traffic and power lines. I opted for a gravel road. Slope was down hill but I couldn’t tell that until I was already committed to landing. There was a very slight dog leg turn in the road. The airplane wouldn’t make the turn so airplane departed the road. When over about 400 ft of Texas sagebrush and then into some bushes. The bushes quickly slowed the airplane. Then the right wing impacted a small (2-3 inch trunk) tree. I didn’t feel much of a tug on the seatbelt. I was fine. Only injury was scratches from climbing through the bushes. Airplane was totaled by the tree. I didn’t feel any fear through the process. No panic at all. I would suggest always selecting landing site prior to working on engine problems. I did change fuel tanks, checked mixture without success and then it was time to land. It was the smoothest power off landing I ever made.
Out of curiosity are you the owner of the plane or were you renting it? I’m still working on my PPL and I rent the planes I am training in. I have always wondered what the costs would be, how the insurance handles it, etc. At 1500 AGL, I imagine that was pretty nerve wrenching! Do you recall about how long it took for you to glide down? (3-4min?)
As a full-time flight instructor, this video is excellent, and I may even use it as a teaching aid. Each step is informative and concise, which is important when teaching new pilots about engine out procedures. I've been flying for 6 years and instructing full-time for 3 years. Luckily, in that time, I've only ever suffered a partial avionic failure, but it certainly wasn't an emergency situation. I was taught to fly bye a old school instructor I remember I was about mid way through my PPL training and we where going through engine out procedures and I will always remeber what he said "know matter what happens James, fly the fucking aircraft" we both chuckled at this remark but its stuck with me until this day, now im teaching my own students. The old addage is never far wrong in my opinion aviate, navigate, communicate.
I got an engine oil light about 5 minutes out from the runway - immediately turned around and headed back to land. Landing went fine and taxied back, started to smell burning oil and shut her down. Popped the cowl and there was oil sprayed everywhere. A few minutes more would be looking at an engine fire.
Lucky indeed. I had complete engine failure in a Piper Arrow at Calais, scary stuff especially that 10 minutes later and I would have been mid-channel :-(
Super video, thanks Terry. I fly a flexwing with 912ULS (I am one year & 100 hours after qualifying). 20 hours after qualifying I had an engine out (turned out to be a clogged fuel line). I was 450m AGL so plenty of time to do everything including PAN-PAN to FIS. All went well except... 1. My routine started from looking for fields and ensuring best glide, to the extent that I didn't switch on the fuel pump when trying to restart the engine. My instructor told me afterwards that if I had switched on the pump quickly enough there would be a decent chance I could have restarted the engine and got back to my airfield with the pump on 2. Despite having the huge luxury of multiple flat fields straight ahead of me (and into the wind) when the engine died, my instincts told to me to avoid all the nice grassy fields and land in the single ploughed field (despite remembering my training telling me ploughed fields were the worst option). My mind kept saying "you don't know what's under that tall grass - what if you hit a hole?". Luckily the ploughed field was very dry and I kept the nose up as long as possible, so no harm done other than a fried wheel bearing - I stopped in what seemed like zero seconds flat! Nothing since then but I ensure I try simulated engine out landings often.
Wow what a way to start your flying career :-) At least you dealt with the problem and had a successful outcome, well done Adam. Not sure how a flex glides with a stationary fixed pitch prop but if it's anything like the SportCruiser it's like having a concrete block hanging from the aircraft, even at our best glide speed I was getting +850 fpm, so on the deck in just over 120 seconds from 2,000ft add in a reaction time and you don't have long. Thank you so much for your kind comments they are really appreciated. Fly safe Adam, cheers Terry
@@ShortField Many thanks Terry. Maybe not quite a concrete block, more like a heavy wooden beam :) Effective glide ratio for my not-at-all-aerodynamic flex is about 4:1-5:1, so the 2 minutes you quoted was close to what I had. Adrenaline kicks in, the training kicks in, and for me it seemed like the time stretched out for minutes on end... Fly safe, keep well. Adam
I advocate for practicing side slips, in this way you can make your approach high "and know" when you can side slip into your chosen crash site. This may option you to choose a differing spot in Liew of seeing a ditch, barbed wire fence, or many other difficult to see hidden obstacles. Buy options via knowing how to drop in and being "confident/well practiced" at it. I used to side slip on every landing because if you're dragging it in on power and the motor quits... you're not going to make it! Side slip is a powerful attribute to have and maintain "energy in the bank"! Watch your airspeed when you are practicing it, It'll soon become 2nd nature and "simple"!
The acronym that I was taught that made is easier for me to learn this was "ABCDE" A -> Airspeed: Set best glide speed B -> Best place to land (identify, then head towards it) C -> Checklist: go through your memory items (for engine fire / engine out respectively) D -> Declare emergency (set transponder to 7700, flip ELT, set radio to 121.5 if needed, broadcast mayday) E -> Execute forced landing checklist Also, what video editing software are you using if I can ask?
You forgot the most important „S“ in your list of what to look out for in a possible landing site. That „S“ would be sheep, because a herd of those will comfortably cushion any emergency landing and some of those sheep might even be reusable afterwards. And now on a more serious note: fly safe and as far as I can see, you are an amazing pilot who not only loves this hobby but also is able to not take off if anything is fishy. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Would have been nice to see the full video of your landing and thoughts along the way etc. I’m no pilot and will never be, but I’ve always been fascinated with aviation
About 15 years ago I had a complete failure at 1200 agl , my take away is the first S, size is important, we can survive rough surface but not clipping trees. BTW, the aircraft flew again. Great Video
Surface - super critical. N299X pilot chose to land in vineyard and went across the rows vs with, passenger was left with permanent brain injury. Courts ruled pilot to be liable for 1.5 million to his passenger for that choice. Mike Busch’s article in this www.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_eaa/EAA_2013-04_a-little-dab-ll-do-ya-in.pdf
My mitigations, I start every flight thinking *it will happen on this flight*… for instance immediately before I press Starter button I remind myself of “fire on start actions”, at every point of flight I have a mental note of wind direction relative to heading, nearest airfield, any suitable landing fields I’ve noticed. I believe this would Reduce workload and increases chance of making best possible decisions when confronted by the “oh cr*p” moment.
That's a great safe way of flying. I try not to be so defensive that I end up not enjoying the flight worrying about what's going to go wrong. Saying that being prepared is the best thing you can do to keep yourself safe. Thank you, great comment.
All good points, Mr. Short Field. I would just add: maintain proficiency in forward slips, so that you can come in a bit hot and high, and yet put it on the numbers.
These little aircraft do slip really well and you can drop around 1,000ft in 1/4 mile that is a really great point, if I do an update I will include that. Cheers Sam
Yep was flying a Robin into Lydd once when the engine cut out on late final. I hit the starter key and it fired up again. Told the group who said, oh not again. That was not much help.
Something worth adding, lets say we do all our vital actions, we have selected a field that looks suitable. Unable to restart.. we are committed. As we approach our chosen landing spot, we misjudge and are a bit fast.. space is running out. If it becomes evident that we are going to crash a new mindset needs to take over. We need to assess how the nature of our crash is going to be. What can we use to dissipate our energy as we crash, is there a stockade fence we can deliberately crash through, or a suitable hedge. We now need to fly into the crash. It is worth thinking about this as last resort.
@@ShortField I forgot to say... excellent video! My suggestion above, is strangely something that generally seems to get skipped during flight training. I feel like more crashes would be survivable if pilots had that plan of last resort. Naturally as pilots we hate the thought of bending or destroying our aeroplanes, but once the engine fails.. the aeroplane now belongs to the insurance company.
Great content. I always get students to verbalise EFOTO/EFATO on the holding point so that it is at the fore front of their minds before take off. One thing you kept saying, which I thought was excellent, was keep flying, fly it to the ground. I think sometimes we can forget the basics. Don’t give up. Take it to the crash site as they say and not the other way around. Really enjoying these vlogs.
Great video. My only contention is you said fly “gliding speed the whole way.” This is 99% correct. When you are very low (say 50’ AGL) you should work hard to slow considerably below Vg. Full flaps, and just a few knots above flaps stall by ground contact. Survivability is all about low energy when you contact whatever you are going to contact. Stall is worse case case, just above stall is best case. It’s a thin line, but hitting ground at Vg in most airplanes is about 20 knots too fast, and 4x the energy at impact. Thanks for a great video.
Appreciate this very helpful comment, thank you Brett agree with everything you say. I wanted to keep the video short and get the main points across but maybe I should have added more detail such as your points. Thank you for your kind comment it is so appreciated.
I mainly fly gliders so not completely applicable but the one big tip I can give is as much as possible never fly where there isn't a safe landing spot or at least one where you can glide to
I enjoyed your Video and tips and Would like to add one for consideration.... First off understand we fly out of Fields that are often surrounded by Trees with few open fields.... With that in mind OUR approach is as follows.... When we depart our field, we leave the ground and begin our climb monitoring our field position and altitude above the trees in case we need to land straight ahead............. As we continue our climb and determine a straight ahead runway landing is no longer possible we start a slight right turn off the runway heading and continue to widen our distance from the field as we climb to a point were we then fly parallel heading from our runway but continue our climb.... This way at any point we loose power we can comfortably perform a 180º turn that puts us lined up on the runway centerline with a slight tail wind to reach it...... I hope this makes some level of sense..... Its un orthodox departure I know but trust me I also know it works.. I have first hand experience hahahahahaha after suffering a gearbox failure on a 582 powered aircraft..... I was so low at the time I didnt make the strip but did safely land in the grass along side the runway........
I'd love to know where that strip is. Great explanation and for locals and based aircraft that sounds like a very practical procedure. Thanks for the insight and kind comments Mark.
Never heard of the 5S in engine failure but always wondered about them! Very informative, thank you! I will add some things that several flight instructors told me: - if you have to go into trees, pick tall needle trees like fir or pine. Their branches are brittle and will break instead of bouncing you back like other leafy trees like oaks or birches. - landing on water will almost certainly flip you over with non-retracteable gear, but statistically it is more likely to survive than land-crashing. - don't try to do the impossible turn, or try to go over that last obstacle by pulling up and reducing your speed. You might make it over the obstacle, but if you stall, the plane will simply fall straight down in a vertical fashion (no speed...) resulting in spine injuries. Better hit an obstacle horizontally than jumping out of a skyscraper. - when over urban areas and no field is available, open football stadium could work. Any green area before a house or a school. - roads also have crossing powerlines, signs and bridges, keep that in mind. 🙃
I've had 5 engine out emergency landings. The first was terrible but ultimately safe, the rest were much better. This is an essential skill to master, thanks for the video!
Cheers Jim for the kind comment. 5 engine outs, is your nickname 'Lucky' LOL. Glad you dealt with them, I'm sure it must make a better pilot of you. Good man.
Five?!?! I know pilots with tens of thousands of hours on single piston aircraft that never had any failures, who the heck was inspecting your machine, and what machine was it???
@The Flying Gospel it was an ultralight I built from a kit with a 1/2 VW engine. I readily admit I am not the best engine mechanic, thus is the life of an experimental builder/pilot.
Engine stopped running in my rental C172 over Puddingstone Reservoir out of Brackett Airfield, La Verne California. I was flying from Van Nuys airport. Landed and had lunch and took off headed back to Van Nuys when while over Puddingstone Reservoir the engine quit running (approximately at 1,300 AGL). Indelibly edged in my memory “will this be my last day on the planet?” I establish glide speed thinking of a possible water landing, but was able to restart the engine.Traded airspeed for altitude. I headed back to the airport landed and called the FBO. They sent a plane with two pilots to pick me up. They test flew the plane around the pattern with no problem and asked me if I would like to fly it back. I said no thank you. Turns out they had fuel contamination problem with several other airplane at this FBO on this day.
0:17 is the ideal scenario with lots of options for a forced landing. Unfortunately, a lot of the time you're really depending on that propellor keeping on turning. For example when flying over the sea or hills or over a big city. There are plenty of airports where if the engine quits 20 seconds after take-off your only option will be landing in the sea & hopefully close to a beach.
I noted your comment about using Google maps to seek out alternative field. I have been caught out by Google removing powerlines, it was a key piece of information I needed. Great video and nicely scripted.
Interesting video as always mate - I did my bi-annual only yesterday and the instructor made an interesting point, which, when I was learning, was never mentioned .... when you have selected your field, make the approach into wind and if you too low, cut the corner (was told that) but if you are too high, pick two features on the base leg, a clump of trees, farmhouse or something, and always use those as a reference for your 'S' turns, so you are always lined up on base, and your selected field..... make sure, you maintain the same speed so you are not suddenly gaining distance towards the field ..... so, in effect, minimise any 'surprises' !!! - It might be normally taught, but I was never told that !! Cheers Terry
Great vid and well scripted. Only thing to add is the radio call - if you have the time - that way there's a fighting chance someone might be able to find you and help you out on the ground if needed!
Landed in a bean field just before sunset. I'm sure no one would have located me before sunrise the following day. Fortunately, the airplane and I were perfectly fine.
Not sure if this is a bad thing. But being a person who used to go Kart racing as a child. I found that I often listen to the engine, feel how the stick vibrates, how the pedals vibrate. Anything weird I feel. Like a literal burp from the engine I look at my engine instruments.
I flew 25 hours into a PPL back in the late 00s. Never got around to finishing it, and now I won't clear a medical, but nontheless - that concept of checking out suitable fields beforehand is a great idea, but also gave me a scary realization. Taking off towards the town at the local field there will be a period during the takeoff where the only possible locations to set it down will be in the middle of town. There is only a small golf course between the threshold and the town, and it's too close to turn away before reaching the town, so after you've passed the point of setting it down on the golf course, the town is all that is left. To top it all off, I live on one the more logical streets to aim for, one of the only ones that is reasonably colinear with the runway. It is NOT wide enough, but better than planting it in a house I guess.
If it really happens to you it will happen fast and you will have very little time to figure this out. Unfortunately there’s a lot of luck in getting a plane into a small field. Best thing you can have Is a copilot and unless you are very skilled and gifted, Good Luck.
Great video as usual Terry, the only thing I would add is that you can't do to many PFLs, they should be baked into your flying routine, so when it happens for real you have some muscle memory of what to do next.
Great point Rob and through training it usually is but sadly too many of us seem to put it way at the back of our minds as the years roll by. Thanks for your always excellent comments and your support.
This is one of my main concerns and why I am hesitate to take up flying again. I did 22 hours about 20 years ago and enjoyed it but with the cost/weather (similar weather issues like the UK) and the concern about issues like this (I'm older now and have a family), I'm not sure what I'll do. Do you have any suggestions on how to get past this "fear" of something happening?
Thanks for the comment, when my kids were small I stopped flying for a while through fear but then I realised it wasn't fear of crashing it was more fear of being irresponsible with a young family. Once they got a bit older I decided that I would go back to flying but set out to be the best pilot I could be and that meant lots of training and lots of hours. I think being confident and being current are your best defences in a light aircraft.
@@ShortFieldThanks for your reply. I had a think about it and as I'm nearing 60, I don't think the PPL or flying solo would be for me, but doing another 10 lessons with a CFI would probably help to make my mind up. Fear of the unknown and all that, so baby steps first. I have contacted my local(ish) training centre and asked them if they could do a 10 lesson package for now and then I'll will see how I feel at the end of it. :-)
I’ve had 2 engine stops over the years. 1) Chipmunk DHC-1 was a successful glide to a landing. Beautifully carried out by my cohort in the front seat. 2) Bolkow Junior. This was a successful inflight restart. 🫣😮💨
Great video… I’m going to be THAT guy and ask about deliberately shutting down the engine in flight and how worried you’d be about restarting. The 912 there is carbed isn’t it? I’ve struggled to start my 914 hot….. I wouldn’t like to try that… otherwise good stuff… I’d add to feather the prop if you have an electric CSU - will improve the glide range.
Flying high with a good glide gives you options. Steep climb and good glide means you can always return to the runway. A Risen at 9500feet can go 65km without engine. A good computer map with runways on means you can generally always reach something and save the rather expensive plane and expensive transport. And it seems England has quite a number of private airstrips
I had a failure in a 2t weightshift on climb out. The brass main jet slot broke off in the bowl partially blocking fuel flow and caused a lean backfire. I thought a local model RC aircraft had gone through the wing, it was so loud in the headset! lol. Lost usable thrust, and promptly remembered to 'fly the plane' back onto the runway. 👍 Had a couple icing scenarios too, luckily melted as gravity started to win.
When the pilot cooling fan stops :-) Watch them sweat!! It is funny I was trained years ago with an instructor who said don't use 5S use "Land With 6S" The break up of that is With = Wind (as he put it one of the most critical parts because at least you can crash slower into wind) then you have you 5S's the additional S was for Stock as he said they can just wonder into the way. I found out when in a helicopter that they do when we arrived with the drive from the engine failed and as we ran on a cow cross infront and put a big dent in the nose of the Wessex. As PIC I had engine failure on my first Solo but that is another story. In my next video you will hear that I fly using the stepping stones method.
@@ShortField it is not an educational video but I do make a comment about as I am flying lower than normal I am picking my way past areas with limited option by using landable field like steping stones.
Excellent informative video Terry. You have hit upon a very good format. Did you land deadstick and yes, rate of descent is greater when the engine does stop!
Your engine-out was intentional, right? If you mentioned that at any time, I missed it. I have full confidence in Rotax 912iS, but the thought of switching off a perfectly good engine in flight makes me nervous. Great video.
I know this is for a vid, but the manual for our cruisers says PULL THE RED HANDLE.... Once the whirly thing in front stops, it belongs to the insurance company.
On our cruisers they state to only use the parachute in extreme emergencies where a safe off-airport landing is extremely unlikely. Does your manual state a minimum use height for the parachute? Ours doesn't unfortunately!
@@That737Driver no minimum deployment in either speed on height, however once the chute is deployed you've lost all control over the situation. Engine failure immediately after take off (use as drag) at or night or water or a loss of a control surface would probably be the only time I would use it.
@@ShortField Agreed, it's a very last resort kind of decision to make. The Cirrus is much clearer in how and when to use its chute, but they also make you use it basically all the time!
Something I've always pondered on... how come the engine in my Renault Clio has NEVER failed/lost power in thousands of hours of use in over 8 years of operation in all sorts of wheather conditions. As a matter of fact I've never been stranded at a road side due to an automotive break down in 20 plus years and nearly a million kilometers. Yet engine faliures seem almost common in general aviation even though your life depends on that NOT happening.
I had 2 engine failures in my 1st 500 hrs. Both turned out ok. But the 1st one. C182 scared the crap out of me. The 2nd C185 I was ready. I had made a point of practising at least 1 forced approach on every flight. Both were during the daytime. Needless to say. I think anyone who flies a single engine piston at night needs their head examined.
"Don't panic!" Easy to say, but apparently very hard to do, for many people. I seem utterly immune to panic, for which I give my thanks to the Great Spirit. One might do very well indeed, one imagines, if one could somehow market such an ability to those in need (:>
Highly confusing I liken it to a continuous aspect approach keeping your landing spot in your view all the way down and adjusting your attitude to maintain it.
Another excellent, well thought out video Terry, sage advice and always a good subject to consider, the exception to the rule that you don't get a ship to float by focusing on it sinking?🤔🤔 I guess that a SLMG, especially some of the Pipistrel SLMG aircraft, gives one more options 🤔🤔🤔😆😆😆 BTW with the Rotax, do you not take the engine top cowel off to check the coolant, carb mounts etc (or is yours fuel injected?), exhausts, springs, etc etc etc?
Thank you for the support as always it is super appreciated. I know we should take the cowling off as you suggest and it is something we have discussed as a group, it is a lot of faff but after recently having a blowing exhaust and it only coming to light on the 100hr check we are going to start adding it in our pre-flight checks but probably as a once a week thing. Great points and thank you again for watching and your excellent comments.
@@ShortFieldThanks, great channel. The checks - it's a daily (or every flight if not daily) check thing for most EV97s (Eurostars) and the Cowling's look very similar to each other (dzus fasteners etc?). So for you guys, perhaps, If two different folk are flying the same day the first takes the top cowling off (ala EV97) does ALL the checks and the second still does a burp/oil, coolant check etc, but through the cut out inspection hatches etc. Iirc (it's been ages since I've flown one) for simplicity and/or lightness the EV97 doesn't have the smaller inspection hatches - hence the top cowling off deal every time. Taking that cowling off does highlight the classic Rotax issues, carb connector pipe issues, leaking exhaust/spring issues, coolant levels, leaks of oil, coolant or fuel etc.
Just being close to finishing my ULL license. Here in Czech Rep. they will actually shut down the engine for emergency landing practice (at least 3 times as it says in the syllabus). There you realize, that is REAL.
Se falhou ligue o motor elétrico auxiliar a ser instalado no bordo central de fuga da asa, e acerte o CG com a bateria ou de lítio ou PB. E escolha um local de pouso seguro, SEM STRESS.
The best place to get an engine failure, all fields around you. If I get an engine failure in barcelona man If im lucky I can land in the highway cause the rest are all cities and buildings😂.....
I've thought about that alot, if engine failure in a single at night, over water, in low cloudbase IMC or over built up areas is so dangerous, why do we do it?
Agreed, but assuming that you don't stall it would be nice to be able to use the aircraft again after you've fixed the engine, cleaned the cow sh*t from the spats and washed the pilots seat. :-)
I had engine failure in a Beech Musketeer a couple years ago. Was only 1500 ft AGL. Not much time to diagnose problem but oil pressure had taken significant drop so I turned towards the field. I was about six miles out. Engine quit within a few seconds after the turn. I immediately set best glide speed. There was major highway with lots of traffic and power lines. I opted for a gravel road. Slope was down hill but I couldn’t tell that until I was already committed to landing. There was a very slight dog leg turn in the road. The airplane wouldn’t make the turn so airplane departed the road. When over about 400 ft of Texas sagebrush and then into some bushes. The bushes quickly slowed the airplane. Then the right wing impacted a small (2-3 inch trunk) tree. I didn’t feel much of a tug on the seatbelt. I was fine. Only injury was scratches from climbing through the bushes. Airplane was totaled by the tree. I didn’t feel any fear through the process. No panic at all. I would suggest always selecting landing site prior to working on engine problems. I did change fuel tanks, checked mixture without success and then it was time to land. It was the smoothest power off landing I ever made.
Well done Mike. Fantastic thanks Sir.
Textbook emergency landing by the sound of it.
@@rinzler9775 textbook, no, walked away, yes 🙂
Out of curiosity are you the owner of the plane or were you renting it? I’m still working on my PPL and I rent the planes I am training in. I have always wondered what the costs would be, how the insurance handles it, etc.
At 1500 AGL, I imagine that was pretty nerve wrenching! Do you recall about how long it took for you to glide down? (3-4min?)
@@GlassFamFishing If an engine fails, don't worry about the aircraft, it belongs to the insurance company at that point.
As a full-time flight instructor, this video is excellent, and I may even use it as a teaching aid. Each step is informative and concise, which is important when teaching new pilots about engine out procedures. I've been flying for 6 years and instructing full-time for 3 years. Luckily, in that time, I've only ever suffered a partial avionic failure, but it certainly wasn't an emergency situation. I was taught to fly bye a old school instructor I remember I was about mid way through my PPL training and we where going through engine out procedures and I will always remeber what he said "know matter what happens James, fly the fucking aircraft" we both chuckled at this remark but its stuck with me until this day, now im teaching my own students. The old addage is never far wrong in my opinion aviate, navigate, communicate.
Did you really need to use the F word? It added nothing to your comment.
@@arturo468 it's what the instructor said hence the quotation marks...
I got an engine oil light about 5 minutes out from the runway - immediately turned around and headed back to land. Landing went fine and taxied back, started to smell burning oil and shut her down. Popped the cowl and there was oil sprayed everywhere. A few minutes more would be looking at an engine fire.
Lucky indeed. I had complete engine failure in a Piper Arrow at Calais, scary stuff especially that 10 minutes later and I would have been mid-channel :-(
@@ShortField as in mid the English Channel ?
@@rinzler9775 yep.
@@ShortField What's the best way of flying over water in a single-engine ? As high as possible ?
Super video, thanks Terry.
I fly a flexwing with 912ULS (I am one year & 100 hours after qualifying). 20 hours after qualifying I had an engine out (turned out to be a clogged fuel line). I was 450m AGL so plenty of time to do everything including PAN-PAN to FIS. All went well except...
1. My routine started from looking for fields and ensuring best glide, to the extent that I didn't switch on the fuel pump when trying to restart the engine. My instructor told me afterwards that if I had switched on the pump quickly enough there would be a decent chance I could have restarted the engine and got back to my airfield with the pump on
2. Despite having the huge luxury of multiple flat fields straight ahead of me (and into the wind) when the engine died, my instincts told to me to avoid all the nice grassy fields and land in the single ploughed field (despite remembering my training telling me ploughed fields were the worst option). My mind kept saying "you don't know what's under that tall grass - what if you hit a hole?". Luckily the ploughed field was very dry and I kept the nose up as long as possible, so no harm done other than a fried wheel bearing - I stopped in what seemed like zero seconds flat!
Nothing since then but I ensure I try simulated engine out landings often.
Wow what a way to start your flying career :-) At least you dealt with the problem and had a successful outcome, well done Adam. Not sure how a flex glides with a stationary fixed pitch prop but if it's anything like the SportCruiser it's like having a concrete block hanging from the aircraft, even at our best glide speed I was getting +850 fpm, so on the deck in just over 120 seconds from 2,000ft add in a reaction time and you don't have long. Thank you so much for your kind comments they are really appreciated. Fly safe Adam, cheers Terry
@@ShortField Many thanks Terry. Maybe not quite a concrete block, more like a heavy wooden beam :) Effective glide ratio for my not-at-all-aerodynamic flex is about 4:1-5:1, so the 2 minutes you quoted was close to what I had. Adrenaline kicks in, the training kicks in, and for me it seemed like the time stretched out for minutes on end... Fly safe, keep well. Adam
All the very best Adam.
I advocate for practicing side slips, in this way you can make your approach high "and know" when you can side slip into your chosen crash site. This may option you to choose a differing spot in Liew of seeing a ditch, barbed wire fence, or many other difficult to see hidden obstacles. Buy options via knowing how to drop in and being "confident/well practiced" at it. I used to side slip on every landing because if you're dragging it in on power and the motor quits... you're not going to make it! Side slip is a powerful attribute to have and maintain "energy in the bank"! Watch your airspeed when you are practicing it, It'll soon become 2nd nature and "simple"!
Yeah, I'd rather be high and have to slip than be low and then there is nothing for it but land short and...ooops.
The acronym that I was taught that made is easier for me to learn this was "ABCDE"
A -> Airspeed: Set best glide speed
B -> Best place to land (identify, then head towards it)
C -> Checklist: go through your memory items (for engine fire / engine out respectively)
D -> Declare emergency (set transponder to 7700, flip ELT, set radio to 121.5 if needed, broadcast mayday)
E -> Execute forced landing checklist
Also, what video editing software are you using if I can ask?
You forgot the most important „S“ in your list of what to look out for in a possible landing site. That „S“ would be sheep, because a herd of those will comfortably cushion any emergency landing and some of those sheep might even be reusable afterwards.
And now on a more serious note: fly safe and as far as I can see, you are an amazing pilot who not only loves this hobby but also is able to not take off if anything is fishy. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Thanks so much sir, I am a very average pilot though :-)
Would have been nice to see the full video of your landing and thoughts along the way etc. I’m no pilot and will never be, but I’ve always been fascinated with aviation
About 15 years ago I had a complete failure at 1200 agl , my take away is the first S, size is important, we can survive rough surface but not clipping trees. BTW, the aircraft flew again. Great Video
Great story thank you
Surface - super critical. N299X pilot chose to land in vineyard and went across the rows vs with, passenger was left with permanent brain injury. Courts ruled pilot to be liable for 1.5 million to his passenger for that choice. Mike Busch’s article in this www.savvyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/articles_eaa/EAA_2013-04_a-little-dab-ll-do-ya-in.pdf
My mitigations, I start every flight thinking *it will happen on this flight*… for instance immediately before I press Starter button I remind myself of “fire on start actions”, at every point of flight I have a mental note of wind direction relative to heading, nearest airfield, any suitable landing fields I’ve noticed. I believe this would Reduce workload and increases chance of making best possible decisions when confronted by the “oh cr*p” moment.
That's a great safe way of flying. I try not to be so defensive that I end up not enjoying the flight worrying about what's going to go wrong. Saying that being prepared is the best thing you can do to keep yourself safe. Thank you, great comment.
All good points, Mr. Short Field. I would just add: maintain proficiency in forward slips, so that you can come in a bit hot and high, and yet put it on the numbers.
These little aircraft do slip really well and you can drop around 1,000ft in 1/4 mile that is a really great point, if I do an update I will include that. Cheers Sam
Yep was flying a Robin into Lydd once when the engine cut out on late final. I hit the starter key and it fired up again. Told the group who said, oh not again. That was not much help.
LOL that is funny.
i take it you manage to land it safely - was eager to see the safe landing in the video
Something worth adding, lets say we do all our vital actions, we have selected a field that looks suitable. Unable to restart.. we are committed. As we approach our chosen landing spot, we misjudge and are a bit fast.. space is running out. If it becomes evident that we are going to crash a new mindset needs to take over. We need to assess how the nature of our crash is going to be. What can we use to dissipate our energy as we crash, is there a stockade fence we can deliberately crash through, or a suitable hedge. We now need to fly into the crash. It is worth thinking about this as last resort.
Fantastic comment I should have gone into that, thank you
@@ShortField I forgot to say... excellent video! My suggestion above, is strangely something that generally seems to get skipped during flight training. I feel like more crashes would be survivable if pilots had that plan of last resort. Naturally as pilots we hate the thought of bending or destroying our aeroplanes, but once the engine fails.. the aeroplane now belongs to the insurance company.
Great content. I always get students to verbalise EFOTO/EFATO on the holding point so that it is at the fore front of their minds before take off. One thing you kept saying, which I thought was excellent, was keep flying, fly it to the ground. I think sometimes we can forget the basics. Don’t give up. Take it to the crash site as they say and not the other way around.
Really enjoying these vlogs.
Thank you Sarah appreciate the view and kind comment.
Great video. My only contention is you said fly “gliding speed the whole way.” This is 99% correct. When you are very low (say 50’ AGL) you should work hard to slow considerably below Vg. Full flaps, and just a few knots above flaps stall by ground contact. Survivability is all about low energy when you contact whatever you are going to contact. Stall is worse case case, just above stall is best case. It’s a thin line, but hitting ground at Vg in most airplanes is about 20 knots too fast, and 4x the energy at impact. Thanks for a great video.
Appreciate this very helpful comment, thank you Brett agree with everything you say. I wanted to keep the video short and get the main points across but maybe I should have added more detail such as your points. Thank you for your kind comment it is so appreciated.
@@ShortField what is the app that you have on your phone called??
@@lorenzo99945 it's SkyDemon probably the best and most used VFR app in the country.
@@ShortField thank you so much
I mainly fly gliders so not completely applicable but the one big tip I can give is as much as possible never fly where there isn't a safe landing spot or at least one where you can glide to
I enjoyed your Video and tips and Would like to add one for consideration.... First off understand we fly out of Fields that are often surrounded by Trees with few open fields.... With that in mind OUR approach is as follows.... When we depart our field, we leave the ground and begin our climb monitoring our field position and altitude above the trees in case we need to land straight ahead............. As we continue our climb and determine a straight ahead runway landing is no longer possible we start a slight right turn off the runway heading and continue to widen our distance from the field as we climb to a point were we then fly parallel heading from our runway but continue our climb.... This way at any point we loose power we can comfortably perform a 180º turn that puts us lined up on the runway centerline with a slight tail wind to reach it...... I hope this makes some level of sense..... Its un orthodox departure I know but trust me I also know it works.. I have first hand experience hahahahahaha after suffering a gearbox failure on a 582 powered aircraft..... I was so low at the time I didnt make the strip but did safely land in the grass along side the runway........
I'd love to know where that strip is. Great explanation and for locals and based aircraft that sounds like a very practical procedure. Thanks for the insight and kind comments Mark.
@@ShortField Our home field is here in NewEngland 8MA4 in Stow MA..... My failure took place at a neighboring field, 3B3 in Sterling, MA..
Never heard of the 5S in engine failure but always wondered about them! Very informative, thank you! I will add some things that several flight instructors told me:
- if you have to go into trees, pick tall needle trees like fir or pine. Their branches are brittle and will break instead of bouncing you back like other leafy trees like oaks or birches.
- landing on water will almost certainly flip you over with non-retracteable gear, but statistically it is more likely to survive than land-crashing.
- don't try to do the impossible turn, or try to go over that last obstacle by pulling up and reducing your speed. You might make it over the obstacle, but if you stall, the plane will simply fall straight down in a vertical fashion (no speed...) resulting in spine injuries. Better hit an obstacle horizontally than jumping out of a skyscraper.
- when over urban areas and no field is available, open football stadium could work. Any green area before a house or a school.
- roads also have crossing powerlines, signs and bridges, keep that in mind. 🙃
very nice ones thanks for sharing.
6:38 just made me jump out of my seat. Surprised nobody else mentioned that.
🤣
i have just shat myself
@@TheTonylegrone If you were in it and it did that, you deffo would 🤣
I've had 5 engine out emergency landings. The first was terrible but ultimately safe, the rest were much better. This is an essential skill to master, thanks for the video!
Cheers Jim for the kind comment. 5 engine outs, is your nickname 'Lucky' LOL. Glad you dealt with them, I'm sure it must make a better pilot of you. Good man.
Maybe a new mechanic?
Five?!?! I know pilots with tens of thousands of hours on single piston aircraft that never had any failures, who the heck was inspecting your machine, and what machine was it???
@The Flying Gospel it was an ultralight I built from a kit with a 1/2 VW engine. I readily admit I am not the best engine mechanic, thus is the life of an experimental builder/pilot.
Engine stopped running in my rental C172 over Puddingstone Reservoir out of Brackett Airfield, La Verne California. I was flying from Van Nuys airport. Landed and had lunch and took off headed back to Van Nuys when while over Puddingstone Reservoir the engine quit running (approximately at 1,300 AGL). Indelibly edged in my memory “will this be my last day on the planet?” I establish glide speed thinking of a possible water landing, but was able to restart the engine.Traded airspeed for altitude. I headed back to the airport landed and called the FBO. They sent a plane with two pilots to pick me up. They test flew the plane around the pattern with no problem and asked me if I would like to fly it back. I said no thank you. Turns out they had fuel contamination problem with several other airplane at this FBO on this day.
Scary story David but well done Sir. Thank you
0:17 is the ideal scenario with lots of options for a forced landing. Unfortunately, a lot of the time you're really depending on that propellor keeping on turning. For example when flying over the sea or hills or over a big city. There are plenty of airports where if the engine quits 20 seconds after take-off your only option will be landing in the sea & hopefully close to a beach.
Very true Brent. Thank you.
I noted your comment about using Google maps to seek out alternative field. I have been caught out by Google removing powerlines, it was a key piece of information I needed. Great video and nicely scripted.
That's a great point and I really didn't bang on enough (if at all) about wires. Oh well, thanks for the comment and view Giles.
Great video Terry, thanks again. I don’t practice enough and this is a great reminder. Cheers.
Thanks Vince, I think we're all guilty of that.
If there were a nodding emoji, I'd use it. I think this is more common than not, and as you say a good reminder.
Interesting video as always mate - I did my bi-annual only yesterday and the instructor made an interesting point, which, when I was learning, was never mentioned .... when you have selected your field, make the approach into wind and if you too low, cut the corner (was told that) but if you are too high, pick two features on the base leg, a clump of trees, farmhouse or something, and always use those as a reference for your 'S' turns, so you are always lined up on base, and your selected field..... make sure, you maintain the same speed so you are not suddenly gaining distance towards the field ..... so, in effect, minimise any 'surprises' !!! - It might be normally taught, but I was never told that !! Cheers Terry
Great advice Chris and thanks for your always appreciated support.
Enjoying the series and one on engine failure is always a winner
Thank you Neil.
Great vid and well scripted. Only thing to add is the radio call - if you have the time - that way there's a fighting chance someone might be able to find you and help you out on the ground if needed!
Great point and thanks for the kind comments.
Landed in a bean field just before sunset. I'm sure no one would have located me before sunrise the following day. Fortunately, the airplane and I were perfectly fine.
Not sure if this is a bad thing. But being a person who used to go Kart racing as a child. I found that I often listen to the engine, feel how the stick vibrates, how the pedals vibrate. Anything weird I feel. Like a literal burp from the engine I look at my engine instruments.
That fan is only there to keep the pilot cool, need proof, well watch him sweat when it stops turning. It's an old one but so true.
I flew 25 hours into a PPL back in the late 00s. Never got around to finishing it, and now I won't clear a medical, but nontheless - that concept of checking out suitable fields beforehand is a great idea, but also gave me a scary realization. Taking off towards the town at the local field there will be a period during the takeoff where the only possible locations to set it down will be in the middle of town. There is only a small golf course between the threshold and the town, and it's too close to turn away before reaching the town, so after you've passed the point of setting it down on the golf course, the town is all that is left.
To top it all off, I live on one the more logical streets to aim for, one of the only ones that is reasonably colinear with the runway. It is NOT wide enough, but better than planting it in a house I guess.
Where I live we don't have those endless fields you have in England. Hills, mountains and water dominate.
Thanks Ronny, we are lucky in that respect but still prefer the US for GA.
Fantastic video Terry! I fee you’d be brilliant in a gas emergency in a domestic home
Absolutely!
Using this video to mentally help prepare for a little pre-test-exam flight tomorrow (Comco C42CS)
Sorry for the late reply. Oh how did you get on?
If it really happens to you it will happen fast and you will have very little time to figure this out. Unfortunately there’s a lot of luck in getting a plane into a small field. Best thing you can have Is a copilot and unless you are very skilled and gifted, Good Luck.
Great video as usual Terry, the only thing I would add is that you can't do to many PFLs, they should be baked into your flying routine, so when it happens for real you have some muscle memory of what to do next.
Great point Rob and through training it usually is but sadly too many of us seem to put it way at the back of our minds as the years roll by. Thanks for your always excellent comments and your support.
What is pfl
This is one of my main concerns and why I am hesitate to take up flying again. I did 22 hours about 20 years ago and enjoyed it but with the cost/weather (similar weather issues like the UK) and the concern about issues like this (I'm older now and have a family), I'm not sure what I'll do. Do you have any suggestions on how to get past this "fear" of something happening?
Thanks for the comment, when my kids were small I stopped flying for a while through fear but then I realised it wasn't fear of crashing it was more fear of being irresponsible with a young family. Once they got a bit older I decided that I would go back to flying but set out to be the best pilot I could be and that meant lots of training and lots of hours. I think being confident and being current are your best defences in a light aircraft.
@@ShortFieldThanks for your reply.
I had a think about it and as I'm nearing 60, I don't think the PPL or flying solo would be for me, but doing another 10 lessons with a CFI would probably help to make my mind up. Fear of the unknown and all that, so baby steps first.
I have contacted my local(ish) training centre and asked them if they could do a 10 lesson package for now and then I'll will see how I feel at the end of it. :-)
Please let me know how you get on 👍👍
@@ShortField Yes, no worries. :-)
Another excellent video, Terry. Did that big fan at the front really stop 😬.... or was it my imagination?!!
👏👏
Thanks Kev. It only stopped because I shut the engine down :-)
@@ShortField 😱
You did a dead-stick landing, Terry? Or did you re-start her?
Great video, however I was confused at the end when he said if you overshoot go around 😢. ..
I was trying to say stay high on the approach, not sure I said go around obvs that wouldn't be possible with no engine :-) Thanks
I’ve had 2 engine stops over the years. 1) Chipmunk DHC-1 was a successful glide to a landing. Beautifully carried out by my cohort in the front seat. 2) Bolkow Junior. This was a successful inflight restart. 🫣😮💨
Great video… I’m going to be THAT guy and ask about deliberately shutting down the engine in flight and how worried you’d be about restarting. The 912 there is carbed isn’t it? I’ve struggled to start my 914 hot….. I wouldn’t like to try that… otherwise good stuff… I’d add to feather the prop if you have an electric CSU - will improve the glide range.
Thank you. 912 starts really easily when hot, I was over an airfield when I did this and sadly don't have a CSU but great point. Thank you so much.
Watching from Zimbabwe! thank you!
Thank you Neil
Flying high with a good glide gives you options. Steep climb and good glide means you can always return to the runway. A Risen at 9500feet can go 65km without engine. A good computer map with runways on means you can generally always reach something and save the rather expensive plane and expensive transport. And it seems England has quite a number of private airstrips
Another belter Terry keep them coming
Cheers John, awesome comment.
I had a failure in a 2t weightshift on climb out. The brass main jet slot broke off in the bowl partially blocking fuel flow and caused a lean backfire. I thought a local model RC aircraft had gone through the wing, it was so loud in the headset! lol. Lost usable thrust, and promptly remembered to 'fly the plane' back onto the runway. 👍
Had a couple icing scenarios too, luckily melted as gravity started to win.
When the pilot cooling fan stops :-) Watch them sweat!! It is funny I was trained years ago with an instructor who said don't use 5S use "Land With 6S" The break up of that is With = Wind (as he put it one of the most critical parts because at least you can crash slower into wind) then you have you 5S's the additional S was for Stock as he said they can just wonder into the way. I found out when in a helicopter that they do when we arrived with the drive from the engine failed and as we ran on a cow cross infront and put a big dent in the nose of the Wessex.
As PIC I had engine failure on my first Solo but that is another story.
In my next video you will hear that I fly using the stepping stones method.
Thanks Algy, looking forward to that video. I am always willing and happy to be educated.
@@ShortField it is not an educational video but I do make a comment about as I am flying lower than normal I am picking my way past areas with limited option by using landable field like steping stones.
Thanks for sharing Terry.
Thank you for watching.
Excellent informative video Terry. You have hit upon a very good format. Did you land deadstick and yes, rate of descent is greater when the engine does stop!
Lol thanks Tim.
Your engine-out was intentional, right? If you mentioned that at any time, I missed it. I have full confidence in Rotax 912iS, but the thought of switching off a perfectly good engine in flight makes me nervous. Great video.
Yes it was but like you I have confidence in the 912 that it would fire up again :-) I was over an airfield.
I know this is for a vid, but the manual for our cruisers says PULL THE RED HANDLE.... Once the whirly thing in front stops, it belongs to the insurance company.
LOL I was going to say that but wanted to keep the video non-specific to type. :-)
On our cruisers they state to only use the parachute in extreme emergencies where a safe off-airport landing is extremely unlikely.
Does your manual state a minimum use height for the parachute? Ours doesn't unfortunately!
@@That737Driver no minimum deployment in either speed on height, however once the chute is deployed you've lost all control over the situation. Engine failure immediately after take off (use as drag) at or night or water or a loss of a control surface would probably be the only time I would use it.
@@ShortField Agreed, it's a very last resort kind of decision to make. The Cirrus is much clearer in how and when to use its chute, but they also make you use it basically all the time!
@@That737Driver No, but the chute manual states 400 feet minimum. Call BRS, they will happily send you a copy.
Thanks Terry, great video!!
Cheers Robin
nice video and discussion. thanks!
Great video! Very informative. 😊👍🏻
Thank you Gianni
Something I've always pondered on... how come the engine in my Renault Clio has NEVER failed/lost power in thousands of hours of use in over 8 years of operation in all sorts of wheather conditions. As a matter of fact I've never been stranded at a road side due to an automotive break down in 20 plus years and nearly a million kilometers. Yet engine faliures seem almost common in general aviation even though your life depends on that NOT happening.
fair comment, but your Renault Clio stays on the ground. More variables up in the sky, but that's my opinion.
Love your content by the way! Subbed
Thank you Michael, really honoured. Hope I get to keep your sub Sir.
I had 2 engine failures in my 1st 500 hrs. Both turned out ok. But the 1st one. C182 scared the crap out of me. The 2nd C185 I was ready. I had made a point of practising at least 1 forced approach on every flight. Both were during the daytime. Needless to say. I think anyone who flies a single engine piston at night needs their head examined.
"Don't panic!" Easy to say, but apparently very hard to do, for many people.
I seem utterly immune to panic, for which I give my thanks to the Great Spirit.
One might do very well indeed, one imagines, if one could somehow market such an ability to those in need (:>
Good video but I hope there’s i full landing section with no engine!!
I really like your videos
Keep up the good work
Thank you very much Joe.
My instructor used the Hi Key Lo Key method for pfl, I thought it just complicated things. To this day I still don't understand it.
Highly confusing I liken it to a continuous aspect approach keeping your landing spot in your view all the way down and adjusting your attitude to maintain it.
Awesome video 🙌👏👏
Thanks Guy.
Another excellent, well thought out video Terry, sage advice and always a good subject to consider, the exception to the rule that you don't get a ship to float by focusing on it sinking?🤔🤔
I guess that a SLMG, especially some of the Pipistrel SLMG aircraft, gives one more options 🤔🤔🤔😆😆😆
BTW with the Rotax, do you not take the engine top cowel off to check the coolant, carb mounts etc (or is yours fuel injected?), exhausts, springs, etc etc etc?
Thank you for the support as always it is super appreciated. I know we should take the cowling off as you suggest and it is something we have discussed as a group, it is a lot of faff but after recently having a blowing exhaust and it only coming to light on the 100hr check we are going to start adding it in our pre-flight checks but probably as a once a week thing. Great points and thank you again for watching and your excellent comments.
@@ShortFieldThanks, great channel. The checks - it's a daily (or every flight if not daily) check thing for most EV97s (Eurostars) and the Cowling's look very similar to each other (dzus fasteners etc?). So for you guys, perhaps, If two different folk are flying the same day the first takes the top cowling off (ala EV97) does ALL the checks and the second still does a burp/oil, coolant check etc, but through the cut out inspection hatches etc. Iirc (it's been ages since I've flown one) for simplicity and/or lightness the EV97 doesn't have the smaller inspection hatches - hence the top cowling off deal every time. Taking that cowling off does highlight the classic Rotax issues, carb connector pipe issues, leaking exhaust/spring issues, coolant levels, leaks of oil, coolant or fuel etc.
@@musoseven8218 interesting, we will start to incorporate that, thank you.
Just being close to finishing my ULL license. Here in Czech Rep. they will actually shut down the engine for emergency landing practice (at least 3 times as it says in the syllabus). There you realize, that is REAL.
Se falhou ligue o motor elétrico auxiliar a ser instalado no bordo central de fuga da asa, e acerte o CG com a bateria ou de lítio ou PB. E escolha um local de pouso seguro, SEM STRESS.
Obrigado
Hi, why did you not show us the end of your engine failure story?
Amazing ! 😃
Thank you! Cheers!
Why did I have a jumpscare at 6:35 🤣🤣😂
:-) I'm so sorry, it was to give you an idea how you'll feel if the engine does go pop :-)
The best place to get an engine failure, all fields around you. If I get an engine failure in barcelona man If im lucky I can land in the highway cause the rest are all cities and buildings😂.....
I've thought about that alot, if engine failure in a single at night, over water, in low cloudbase IMC or over built up areas is so dangerous, why do we do it?
maybe I missed something talking about an engine failure; then at 8 minutes talking about reducing power slowly and a go around???
6:38 gave me a heart attack
Imaging if it was your engine going in real life then :-)
Simple don’t even attempt a restart and jump out with a parachute
😂 only if you want clicks 😂😂😂
@@ShortField hi my names Trevor jacobs
Maybe you should try flying without an engine, of course I'm talking gliders.
I have a course booked :-) Thanks Thaddius
Just dont stall it and you will be fine.
Agreed, but assuming that you don't stall it would be nice to be able to use the aircraft again after you've fixed the engine, cleaned the cow sh*t from the spats and washed the pilots seat. :-)
@@ShortField Yes, of course! But all the things you can consider come after flying first :D
@@K0nst4nt1n96 I was only joking, you are 100% correct, fly the aircraft until you no longer can.
dude you never showed the landing after the engine went out
That's for private viewing 🤣
@@ShortField Why? we're all trying to learn to do better. might be a good learning point for the masses. just saying
@@SL8408 it was simulated 😀
Unless your name is trevor jacob.
Yes, I suppose bailing out at the first hiccup was another option :-)
@@ShortField I don't think you have enough go pro cameras to bail out.
@@grahamthebaronhesketh. I do have a Ridge Wallet though so I'm nearly fully equipped 🙂
@@ShortField put it on the checklist. Dead friend. Fire extinguisher etc
@@grahamthebaronhesketh. 🤣
Just land in a big open field
Yes sir bang on.
Fly the wing, not the engine.
Turn into the wind. Pick a place to land that's into the wind. Duuuuuh###