From: kerry@Ingres.COM (Kerry Kurasaki)
Subject: Re: engine out in a twin
Reply-To: kerry@Ingres.COM (Kerry Kurasaki)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:56:47 GMT

In article <BuG96B.475.2@cs.cmu.edu> dst+@cs.cmu.edu (Dave Touretzky) writes:
>
>Kerry Kurasaki writes, in answer to Eric Thiele's question:
>
>>... If one engine should fail, then you "pull" the trigger and
>> execute the procedure.  You don't have time to think, but only to
>> react.
>
>Although it may harm my macho-multi-driver image to do so, I respectfully
>disagree.  Unless you're flying some bizarre homebuilt, *nothing* terrible
>will happen to you when an engine quits, as long as you maintain airspeed.
>
>> There is a fine balance here.  You must not act so fast as
>> to perform the procedure incorrectly, but you also don't have time
>> think "what do I do next?".  Act quickly and methodically.
>
>Although we twin drivers like to talk about our near-instantaneous reactions
>to engine failure, in truth this is almost never appropriate, and it isn't
>necessarily a constructive thing to talk about to non-multi pilots.  In
>fact, advice like this messed me up pretty badly in my early multi days; it
>made me feel like I had to DO SOMETHING RIGHT AWAY.
>
>Engine failure procedures in a twin should be practiced like tai-chi:  the
>goal is to be smooth and correct, with a clear mental picture of what the
>airplane is doing, not to go through the drill with blinding speed.  In an
>emergency situation, speed will come if you need it.  But if you focus on a
>speedy reaction, you're setting yourself up for a fall.  For example, a prop
>overspeed due to a governor failure will generate cues that cause a rushed
>pilot to feather the GOOD engine.
>
[lotsa good stuff deleted]
>
>Well, I didn't mean to write a textbook on multi flying.  I just want to
>restate my point that too many multi pilots are taught to measure their
>skill in terms of how quickly they can feather an engine.  They let heading
>and airspeed wander all over the place as they fiddle with throttle and prop
>levers.  But the real measure of multi skill is how closely they can
>maintain heading and airspeed, because those are what decay most rapidly in
>an unexpected engine-out situation, and if you lose one on takeoff, loss of
>control is what will kill you.
>

Dave and I are probably 99% in agreement.  Getting the first part of
the engine-out procedures done, like adding power and reducing drag
gives you that much more time for identifying and verifying the bad
motor.  Again, your reaction time is measured in seconds, or 10s of
seconds, not with a stopwatch.

From memory, [in a Seneca] a windmilling prop is about 600 fpm, and the
gear is another 600 fpm.  In cruise/descent, you have the time to
reduce drag.  It is NOT a panic situation.

In the classic, "burning on takeoff", situation, I typically make my
go/no-go decision when I raise the gear, and I won't raise the gear
until I have a positive rate of climb established (out of ground effect).
So, from my checklist, I already have full power in, and the drag is
being reduced, so all I have left is to Identify, Verify, and Feather.
And that means, I have the time (seconds) to Identify and fly the plane,
Verify (seconds) and fly the plane, think (a few seconds more) is that
motor really bad? and Feather as necessary.

Oh, yes, I've Identified (in training) the wrong engine, although I
didn't reach for the propeller control to feather it.  Just advanced
the throttle and tried the other one [to re-Identify/Verify].

We're 1000% in agreement about maintaining control and airspeed.

In my 15+ years of aviating, I've had about 3 partial power failures,
all in singles.  This makes me conclude (either correctly or incorrectly)
that in a twin, a greater portion of power failures will be of the
partial nature and that Identifying is extremely important.  If you
are getting something useful out of the broken engine, why not use it
to get that extra 500 feet of insurance?  It might make all the difference
in the world.

In the case when you see flames, or you think that you need to feather
it immediately 'cuz you may not be able to later, I'll leave that
hypothetical discussion for later, or for your CFI.

Kerry
Newsgroups: rec.aviation