I -think- I may have seen an engine out...

[Sac Arrow]

At first I thought it was an RC plane, circling, losing altitude over a field to my left. Then I realized it was too big to be an RC plane. I'm thinking, why is this guy doing low circles over a crowded residential area? He was losing altitude, fast. Then he appeared to be setting up to land on the six lane arterial road, right in front of me! He was probably about 250 AGL before I heard the engine power up, and then climb out in the general direction of the Lincoln airport. I think the other cars probably thought I was crazy when I was slowing down and pointing upwards with my arm out the window.

It might have been a practice engine out. If it was, it was a terrible place to practice one given that it was smack in the middle of the burbs, and the terrain of the open field probably would not result in a walk away landing, should things go south. That was my excitement for the day. Well, then there were the Burger Girls.

 

[eman1200]

steep spiral or emergency descent or maybe he wanted a closer look at the burger girls ow ow ow

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I've had some CFIs want to get really low on simulated engine outs, but those were in open places.

 

[RyanB]

steep spiral or emergency descent or maybe he wanted a closer look at the burger girls ow ow ow

my bet...

 

[Mtns2Skies]

Maybe a checkride and the DPE wanted to see where he/she'd pick?

 

[Sac Arrow]

Maybe a checkride and the DPE wanted to see where he/she'd pick?

Maybe. Who knows. Less than five miles away is rice country, with lots of nice flat fields and seldom traveled roads. So that doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I've had some CFIs want to get really low on simulated engine outs, but those were in open places.

And hopefully within gliding range of an airport.
When I was a student, I rode in the back for a bunch of twin training.

 

[rtk11]

Well, glad that the pilot didn't have to do a forced landing. But that's not important now.

What about the Burger Girls? Need pics. (Both girls and the burger.) Priorities.

 

[A1Topgun]

The simulated training maneuver should not be more dangerous than what the instructor is trying to teach.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

And hopefully within gliding range of an airport.
When I was a student, I rode in the back for a bunch of twin training.

No, but one was a sod farm, so it would have been like landing on a grass runway. The other was a farm in after harvest (pretty much most of Nebraska).

 

[Omalley1537]

Too many details about the possible engine out, too few details (and pics) of the burger girls. I’m giving the post 6/10.

 

[Sac Arrow]

And hopefully within gliding range of an airport.
When I was a student, I rode in the back for a bunch of twin training.

The head instructor/owner of the flight school where I did my IFR used to do my BFR's. Failing the engine was a big thing of his. During one BFR he failed my engine in a rural area of the Central Valley. Went through the FLOW checklist, set best glide speed, evaluated all the options, and set up for a landing in a plowed field. As I approached my landing spot, he pointed to the left.

The airport was directly under me when he failed the engine. I mean, I did learn the lesson.

 

[asicer]

The airport was directly under me when he failed the engine. I mean, I did learn the lesson.

I guess those were the days before you just peeked at the MFD and/or hit the NRST button.

 

[aggie06]

On my private checkride, the DPE had me almost below the treetops on the simulated engine out. He wanted to see how I'd react to having to actually keep the C-150 at exactly Vx to get out of that spot. He told my CFI later that he was impressed I didn’t yank back on the yoke because of the trees. This was in August in Texas, with 2 grown men in a 150. That was an interesting checkride.

 

[Initial Fix]

On a checkout years ago, a cfi had me to within maybe 200 feet of a farm field before recovery. He said too many instructors recover too low and you don’t get the full training value.

 

[Will Kumley]

I've had some CFIs want to get really low on simulated engine outs, but those were in open places.

I had a CFI giving my engine back on a engine out practice until we were 500 ft above the ground. I identified a small but workable beach to land on and figured he would let me climb out around 1000 ft. Needless to say I ended up setting up for what could’ve been a great soft field landing with no power before he let me climb. Learned a lot in that 2 minutes.

 

[strangebird]

Maybe a checkride and the DPE wanted to see where he/she'd pick?

On my commercial check ride, engine out procedure, the DPE told me to make right circling turns and picked a field for me to aim for and would tell me when to add power and climb, well we got down real low and I was ready to land, all of a sudden at 100 feet he says climb now, little did i know that the DPE was looking at some convertible top down car parked with a couple copulating in the back seat, afterward he told they were parked in that field just about every day and said "want to take a look we can do it again, to the left so you can see". I was 18 at the time and said that's ok I will just have to remember that place, passed the check ride and went back the next day in a Super Cub with a buddy, yep same car top down, we would also circle a nearby nudist camp a lot , we got one finger waives, a lot. Then the were the ladies in the back yards sunbathing nude, we were out in the country, no towers all farmland, summer was fun flying back then.

 

[bcool]

On my private checkride some 43 years ago, the examiner pulled the mixture and asked me where would I put it down. I was looking around (maybe taking a little too long to decide) and he said "what about there?". I said yeah, that looks good, and he said "OK, go ahead and land there". I set up for the landing, and was waiting for him to push the mixture back in when I realized he wasn't going to (!!).

I landed OK, and he had me start back up, take off, and head back to home base, where he signed me off.

Turns out he had me land on his property out in the boonies...boy, was that a surprise for me (albeit good practice for the real thing, I guess).

He also owned the flight school, so maybe he thought it would be a good idea if I knew how to put down in a field considering how ratty the planes were

 

[denverpilot]

Haven’t seen it on a checkride in a long time but my primary instructor pulled the power over a rural airport and had me do the entire landing. There’s simulated, and then there’s simulated...

 

[Arnold]

I saw an engine out this week.

 

[bluerooster]

At 4000msl on flight review instructor pulled power, and said "whatcha gonna do?" I told him that The Cherokee 140 glides quite well, and we're only about 7 miles from the airport, so I'll go for straight in to land on 16. I was actually a bit high, and had to slip with 40* of flaps, to hit the numbers.

 

[TheBoatDude]

The head instructor/owner of the flight school where I did my IFR used to do my BFR's. Failing the engine was a big thing of his. During one BFR he failed my engine in a rural area of the Central Valley. Went through the FLOW checklist, set best glide speed, evaluated all the options, and set up for a landing in a plowed field. As I approached my landing spot, he pointed to the left.

The airport was directly under me when he failed the engine. I mean, I did learn the lesson.

CFI did that to me during training over Livermore valley, just SE of KLVK. After all was done he pointed out a private strip right below me.

 

[steingar]

steep spiral or emergency descent or maybe he wanted a closer look at the burger girls ow ow ow

Back in the day the Goodyear blimp used to cover the big golf tournament in LaJolla. When not filming golfers they'd descend to look at all the girlies on San Diego's unofficial nude beach. Many way the time when I'd be looking west out of my window to see that thing rising over the cliffs...

 

[Arnold]

I saw an engine out this week.

Engine no longer out, flew it 2.5 yesterday. Runs very well. Thank you to Kent Heller at N47. And yes that is a real live Bridgeport in the background. [Edit] hand propping much harder!

 

[pburger]

I was getting a pre-rental checkout in a 172 many years ago, and the instructor pulled the power. I set up and selected a field. He questioned my choice and then pointed out a very long driveway that led to a farmhouse. I had plenty of time, so I said I'd take his suggestion. I was set up for landing, checklist complete, everything looked good, had the field (er - driveway) made, and was waiting for him to call it. We got lower and lower... finally as I was flaring, I asked if this was good enough, and he said, "yeah, that's good, let's go". I honestly believe he wasn't going to say anything until we landed on that gravel driveway. I told myself I would never do that again. I was PIC, and I should've called it much, much, earlier. I asked around, and it turns out I wasn't the only one he did that to.

 

[Zeldman]

Is this considered an engine out or engine gone.??

 

[midwestpa24]

On of my favorite tricks as an instructor is to work a student right over the top of an airport without them realizing it, then simulating an engine failure. Only about 1 out of 10 see the airport during the panic looking for a place to land.