What to Do if Your Engine DIES in a Cessna 172 (ENGINE FAILURE in FLIGHT) 

Love it

You can try to glide and maintain altitude till you spot the relatively safe ground to put it down, in a thick forest just land on the canopy in low speed with full flaps

Very true.

And it can make you snow blind where you can’t even tell how high above it you even are. Great point.

Very true. I’m a huge fan of the zoom climb. That’s one thing I forgot to talk about in this video. And yes, coarsening or feathering the prop makes a huge difference

@@FreePilotTraining You are an honest man. Thank you for these lessons.

yup. most aircraft i fly, I actually climb out at speeds Above best glide. Vy is going to naturally be faster than best glide, and even more so a higher speed climb, which I often do for better cooling during the climb out on a hot day.

Right. And that will stamp in your memory to pull back elevator when engine quits. Good to remember that.

@@emergencylowmaneuvering7350 not at all. it's about being in control of your aircraft at all times, thus being aware of your condition and how to react accordingly. If fast, pitch up slightly for best glide, if slow, pitch nose down promptly.

I’ve heard that! I’d love to make a short video on that

Which is why electric-powered airplanes will never be able to carry any reasonable amount of human or cargo mass. There is no real or even theoretical technology that could allow it.

@@karlrschneider that's overstated. There's certainly is theoretical technology. But not so theoretical anymore. Not only are graphene batteries now a very real possibility, with 10 times the capability of lithium-ion, but there's also zero point energy on the horizon finally get a breakthrough from hundreds of years of suppression.

Thanks! Let me know how that goes!

Thank you!

Thanks!

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

Thanks! Let me know how it goes

Awesome!

Thanks man! Everything is good! We’ve been super busy building a house up here. I just got put on full time orders so it’s even more crazier now!

Thanks Dan!

You’re welcome!

Why I got you online what’s the procedures. how do I know when I’m ready to take the written test I live in a country in California my airport has about 10 hangers old old. i’m 49 years old my grandfather and father both the flu and they’re both deceased now so I’m just starting to figure it out I’m trying to get my sports pilot license to start.I think I’m on episode 15 of yours so I’m gonna take notes. on every episode due to a partially dyslexic well these videos really help me because I learned by site mostly is there any information that you can give me to start this journey kind of the quickest way to get my license started to seal the deal. I kind of want to buy. airplane now due to the prices are rising. and then to get my license I have to have so many hours a flight time with an instructor on the sports part I don’t know really what you need I’m kind of lost. if you can can you help me for me from a to Z. .I have an old crop duster pilot out here maybe I could talk to him about gathering of hours when the time is needed like I said I don’t know what I’m getting into any information super valuable to me thank you love your videos you explain very well.

Thanks Kevin! Yep, it’s been pretty chilly up here, but you’ve guys have had it bad too it seems!

@@FreePilotTraining that we have. Snow last week with below 0 temps and now freezing rain coming in tonight and tomorrow. I just hope the weather is decent for my checkride. It's so close, and I'm so nervous. Lol

Thank you so much! Yes, I think that it’s best to start memorizing early!

Josh how can I get a hold of you? do you have an email or contact number? I'd like to talk to you about flight training.....Thanks@@FreePilotTraining

Thanks Max!

You’re welcome!

Thanks Lukas! That means the world to get comments like this! Congratulations on the huge milestone!

Thanks for the comment Frank! What a story!

Yes, I think the DPE wants to grade you on your ability to make your chosen landing spot, but I totally agree; it’s stupid to stick with something if you know you aren’t going to make it

Thanks!

You’re welcome! Let me know what he says!

​@@FreePilotTraining😄😄I'm excited to say , I'll let you know what "she" says!! 😄👍🙌

Thanks!

I shared it with the Texas Pilots Association, on LinkedIn! 😃

Thank you so much! I too am a huge fan of the zoom climb. Airspeed is life at low altitudes!

Thanks! Oops

Thank you! That’s a great point. It might be worth discussing in a future video! I really appreciate the idea!

I’ve actually heard it both ways. A feathered propeller definitely creates less drag, but a windmilling propeller is also at a lower angle of attack than a stopped propeller in a fixed pitch propeller. That’s my thoughts on the matter

Now you've made me curious and go off and do a whole lot of reading. 😁 For me the thing I couldn't get past was a windmilling propeller is doing work turning the engine and this must reduce the amount of energy the airplane's loss of altitude can convert into forward energy. But aerodynamics is a complicated subject and there are many factors at play. The most interesting thing I found was a NACA study that measured drag of a stopped propeller vs. freewheeling propeller vs. windmilling propeller turning and engine. At 17° pitch and at 75 mph, the windmilling propeller produced 29% more drag than a stopped one (but freewheeling produced 36% less drag, which makes sense). At 100mph the same relationship holds, but the windmilling penalty is only 6% rather than 29%. I suspect if they continued to higher speeds, windmilling would beat stopped. This is all going to vary with propeller pitch, specific airplane and engine characteristics, etc. The only real way to know would be to try it both ways on a specific airplane. But this raises the whole question of whether it's a good idea to stop a running engine on a single engine plane. Some people have no problem, others have a valid argument against it!

Yes but a stall prop moving in the air and not spinning makes less drag as its stalled once an airfoil stalls the drag falls off drastically. Same applies for a stalled wing makes less drag then same wing flying at its max speed @@FreePilotTraining

I had a small polystyrene airplane as a kid, came with a bag of chips. There was also a small prop with it. No motor. I tested out it flew better with the prop free spinning( no load of an engine) instead of an equal load without prop. It always intrigued me, later flew model RC airplanes. Home build 80’s

In my previous life, I was a sailor. On my last ship if we were only running on one engine, once we were above a set speed, we had to free wheel the shaft to reduce drag. We had controllable pitch and would adjust the pitch to maintain the slowest shaft speed we could above 65 rpm (the minimum speed for proper lubrication, on that ship). Below 8 knots it was too hard to keep that shaft spinning and we would pitch it out to stop it.

Thanks!

You’re welcome! I really appreciate the Super Thanks!

@@FreePilotTraining I enjoyed your video. I literally just started my PPL journey. So need all the help to get things right first time, and save money and time. So you thank you. I appreciate your video

Lol. Guess I’m crawling out the baggage door

That’s exactly what I do. I bold font the items that I want my students to commit to memory. The Air Force calls it bold face. That’s cool that you are doing it too! Someday, I’ll learn to fly egg beaters

Rhodesian/Zimbabwean pilots and from my experience South African pilots, learn vital actions and procedures by memorizing mnemonics such as: Too Many Pilots Forget How, Hasell and Bumpff etc. In all my time flying in Africa I never ever saw a printed checklist. Yet, here I am.

That’s sad. I’m sure that was a tough decision.

😂 I was hoping someone would get that impression

Thanks David! Maybe I’ll make it down to Sun and Fun someday

Yes! Trim is your friend!

Great point! In reality you can do Airspeed, Best Landing Spot and Carb Heat at the same time

Excellent points! Thank you so much and thanks for the sub!

That’s great. It works

😆 I thought that was appropriate

That’s a great idea. Let me think about how I could make a video on that

@@FreePilotTraining Awesome, Thanks! I love your videos, they were a huge help to me

Thank you so much! Excellent point!

Good point. The worse the plane climbs. The farther you will be away from the runway as well. And light winds can make it even worse

Ok, I can almost guarantee you that your instructor is an old military pilot teaching you high and low key maneuvering. You do not need to know that. Does it work? Yes, but I’m tired of instructors teaching this stuff to new students. It’s extra stuff that makes it more difficult to pass the checkride. My advice is that if you want to stick with this instructor, always error on the side of being a little high during the maneuver and then you can use every tool available to get yourself down to the runway. I’ll think about how I could tackle a video

That is an excellent point! Thanks for the comment

Seems like a lot, but I think it’s smart that they do that!

In the beginning, I’d error on being too close rather than too far

I’m just an affiliate for now. Hopefully the sponsorship is coming soon!

Video?

I’ve heard both. It might be worth testing out in a future video

@@FreePilotTraining Actually I just had a look into it (should've done so before commenting). The drag coefficient of a windmilling prop depends greatly on its blade angle. The stationary prop has a much shallower drag curve throughout its blade angles. At very high blade angles, the windmilling prop can potentially produce less drag than a stationary one. However, a low-blade-angle, windmilling propeller does produce a tremendous amount of drag, far more than a stationary prop of its same angle. In the case of the C172, it would depend on its blade angle (of which I can't seem to find on the internet). Source: www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/00-80T-80.pdf page 149, figure 2.19

@@FreePilotTraining I tried replying once, but it didn't post for some reason. Anyway, I had a look into it, which I should've done before posting. A windmilling propeller at a low blade angle will produce a tremendous amount of drag, much more than a stationary prop at the same pitch. However, as the blade pitch increases, the stationary prop'a drag curve remains shallow, while the windmilling prop's curve drops off sharply. At high blade angles, a windmilling prop CAN potentially produce less drag than a stopped prop. For the 172, it would depend on the blade angle (of which I am unable to find online). Source: www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/00-80T-80.pdf page 149, figure 2.19

I know the feeling!

😆 thanks!

@@FreePilotTrainingreally this is the most thorough engine out info x10

@@Heyemeyohststhat’s my goal for these videos!

That’s probably not a bad technique

I’ve heard both. Might be worth testing in a future video

😂 that would be a good one

So true!

I wonder if a lawyer would take this comment as a legal will. 😆 just kidding, I do greatly appreciate that!

@@FreePilotTraining lol I do watchall of your videos to help me stay prfoficiant and current though being sim but can use these lessons to practice just the same.

😂

Thank you for giving the community such a practical and effective training video, for free!@@FreePilotTraining

I know! I about jumped out of my skin.

Best glide allows you to glide the farthest distance while minimum sink keep you in the air for the longest time possible. Bold method has a great article on the subject: www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/maneuvers/how-to-handle-a-power-off-landing-following-an-engine-failure-best-glide-or-minimum-sink-how-to-manage-it/#:~:text=Minimum%20sink%20is%20always%20slower,significantly%20impact%20your%20glide%20range.

@@FreePilotTraining, thank you very much!! The article is very helpful. Wayne Detwiler's comment "There is another way to determine minimum sink. It's the same speed as maximum endurance and is equal to your best glide speed divided by 1.316, Carson's nimber. It would be good to know this number for your plane if you have a landing site in reach and need time to sort things out. OBTW, best glide times 1.316 equals your best economy in gph per knot of airspeed." is also very informative (if he is correct). use his method, if the best glide speed is 100 knots, then the minimum sink speed will be only 76 knots.

That’s super interesting. I’m very surprised that the windmilling prop decreases the glide distance. Thanks for the comment!

What's more drag-producing, a Cessna with a spinning prop, or one with no propeller? Assuming no thrust is being produced, of course. A stopped prop is the closest you will come to a no-propeller condition. A spinning prop with no power produces mostly drag, it might even be a stalled wing as it free spins.@@FreePilotTraining

This is something that might be worth experimenting with. I’ve read articles on both positions. For now, I still believe what I said in the video.

That’s a great question! The left turning tendencies would definitely be reduced

If you stall at 500' AGL because you panicked after the engine quit, you probably also panicked and left your right foot on the rudder.

@@FreePilotTraining Lately, I've spent some time researching accidents, and found a significant number that involved low altitude stalls, wherein the plane rolled upside down, presumably from the engine torque. If a pilot heard the stall warning and instinctively applied full throttle, the condition could easily go from manageable to complete loss of control (due to the instant increase in engine torque). Id love to see a video on this topic. Thanks!

Lol

You’re welcome!

Ooh. I’ve never heard of L/D + half head wind. Might be worth comparing in a future video… thanks for the comment!

@FreePilotTraining pozdrowienia z Polski

This is a good question. Might be worth testing. Turning the engine does nothing to drag. But a stopped propeller directly apposes forward movement

I’ve heard both. Not sure which one to believe yet

I’ve received mixed views on this. In my opinion, the prop is at a lower AoA when spinning. Yes, the wind turns the engine, but the wind pushes directly against the prop in a frozen example. Might be worth further research

I’m hearing mixed reviews. Might be worth researching

Great question! I honestly don’t know what the difference would be in an idling engine and a dead engine. I’m sure there’s a slight difference

I wouldn’t if you can help it

Lol good point

Yes it is. Most students can’t tell whether or not they could hit a “spot” from 500’. It’s never a bad idea to clear the engine

It’s a little easier in the plane because you can see everything better

Yes there is. If you read the comments, there are quite a few different opinions on that topic. It seems like I need to make a video at some point

@@FreePilotTraining Yes. I remember you mentioned a non spinning prop can create drag versus a windmilling prop. I was just curious of the difference in best glide of a prop spinning at idle speed. It might be negligible for all I know. I’ve just begun to look into a private pilot journey. I’ve been doing all the research I can before I get into it. I do enjoy your videos and the comedy inserted. Keep it up!

And continues nearly every instructional hour until you pass your test.

Very true! I like to think I’m still learning too!

HaHa I could always count on my instructor pulling the power back and saying "you just lost your engine. What do you do?" Became an instinct to establish a safe glide attitude, look outside for possible landing sites while "trouble shooting" the dead engine. @@FreePilotTraining

I can imagine

Typically no. I have had students pull the power themselves and try to reland when we have a big runway

Very true! I use that too!

@@FreePilotTraining I always got criticized for not making Mayday calls. but I started in helicopters. We calculated the maximum time possible in the air after an engine failure, from service ceiling to seal level in autorotation was 26sec. If you have an engine failure at 1000-3000ft, you have no time. If I get down safe, then I can call. (this happened to a fellow CFI when his students pulled the mixture on final approach in an R22, he took over and landed it from no more than 300ft AGL, made radio calls to the airport tower, then restarted the helicopter and flew it to the hangar) there is a lot to manage, you have to find a spot, maneuver to it, not mess up, and the last thing I care about is the radio. In an airplane, in best glide or min rate of descent, from altitude, you have time while you descend to your chosen landing spot to then make a call. A descent can take a while with altitude and a descent glide ratio. People screw up real world engine failure landings more often than not, adding complexity like radio calls to the situation is likely part of the problem. When the engine quits, the only things that matter are pitch, yaw, and roll, along with picking a spot to land and flying to it. If that is all under control, then you can consider making a call or troubleshooting or restart procedures. Same with Vmc. When in doubt, an alternate option is to pull BOTH engines. Can't roll if Both are out or at idle. Glide, troubleshoot, then bring back the good engine slowly. But nobody explains this to pilots. Vmc doesn't exist if you're a glider. My first ever flight in a twin was at 20k ft and had a real world single engine failure. Had never been trained in single engine ops yet. Handled it perfectly as my CFI got the engine running again. So much so he thought I was rated and put PIC time in my logbook and I had to let him know I wasn't rated and to correct it. I also passed my ME rating 2 months later to MEI standards (both the oral and flight). That real world flight taught me a lot of lessons that I still use today to teach others. When you know not only how to do something , but WHY as well, everything becomes so much easier, and you're better able to react quickly to unexpected situations more easily. I spend a lot of time analyzing emergency scenarios and figuring out how to make them as simple as possible to handle with as few steps and variables to deal with. This results in far higher success rates with students.

Great input! Thank you!

Sounds like a pretty hairy experience

That’s very interesting! I’m hoping to built an experimental in the near future!

Very good point

If you are flying over a densely populated area, a roadway is likely going to be the safest place to land for both the people in the plane and people on the ground. As it turns out the landing speed for many GA aircraft (most, actually) is very close to typical highway vehicle speeds, so in the absence of a traffic jam it will hopefully be possible to land without dropping onto the roof of a vehicle.

Yes, because these work just like a car engine…

Exactly

Lol. Lighten up a little. If you’re up tight about a joke, think about how you’ll react in a real life situation. Pilots need to maintain the ability to maintain their cool under pressure and humor is a great way to do that

@@FreePilotTrainingIf you think joking about crashing is helpful in any way then you have the wrong demo. I don’t think having THIS sense of humor will prepare anyone for real life situations. I’ll stick to other channels for my research.

Carb heat should be applied immediately. If ice is the cause, there might not be sufficient engine heat if you dilly-dally looking for a spot to land before applying carb heat. Also, if induction ice is the cause, carb heat will supply an alternate source of air to the engine.

I think my rod is a little bent so it’s kinda stiff

Wait til you get to be my age. @@FreePilotTraining

These are the David Clark One-Xs. Great headset for the cost. www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/11036

I don’t have one. I wish I did

Good thinking! I like that

Um, there are “articles” that explain it both ways. There is a chance I’m wrong about the increased drag, but you are super confused I’ve got quite a few multi hours and the thrust from the opposite engine is what causes the yawing motion. Drag is a factor but thrust is a bigger factor. That’s why some aircraft have ATCS. Also, a lot of multi engine aircraft have variable pitch propellers which are completely different than a fixed pitch propeller. And 8-10x more drag? That sounds like 80% of the statistics that are made up on site