Former Member
Well-Known Member
Im a pi;ot and was an instructor and since you are a long time pilot, you know that to say... "it really doesn't matter what altitude you are at if you are not trained for a forced landing or engine out. You can be at 10000' and have an engine out, and if you don't know where a suitable place to land would be, you're in big trouble." Is not a sensible statement to make about a pilot, because ALL pilots should be able to handle an engine out situation as they should have been trained to do just that. It is part of the training and should be practiced often throughout any pilot's flying life.
All pilots should be paying attention to what they are flying over and picking out suitable landing spots all around them as their flight progresses because they were trained to do that just like they were trained to check the Ps and Ts on climb out. Therefore, there should never be a situation whereby a pilot is at any altitude including your 10,000 ft mentioned, and not be trained to pick a spot to land and get it down in there. Altitude is your friend when you have an engine out, you know that. Yes many pilots get laxed and don't practice engine out situations as they age, but that is their own fault, that is not how they were trained.
It would be like saying no matter if you are driving at 40mph or 150mph, if you are not looking at the road, but have your eyes on your phone texting, you will be having a nasty crash. Sure, some people do that but that is not how they were trained to drive. Regarding flight, I am speaking of what a pilot was trained to do and is expected to do during flight. There should legally be no pilot up in the sky who was not trained for a forced landing, or who was not paying attention to emergency landing spots.
Those who have not practiced such a scenario continuously during their flying life and those not paying attention to the ground, will all pay the price when such a situation comes up. It is just not a thing that pilots are told is okay to do, to fly low over water and think that engine will always be spinning their prop. Many may do it but it is not a safe, nor sensible thing to do. I was just commenting on flying low over water, that was mentioned in this thread, so that other non pilots did not think this is something that we all do on a regular basis. The prop is only there to spin and keep a pilot cool because when it stops, they all begin to sweat!
Altitude might be your friend, but if you are flying at 400' because the law says you have to, you have no choice. You can bring adequate flotation devices, and also practice your swimming beforehand. The low rate of engine failures, and minuscule % of small aircraft going down vs. the number of flights and flight hours, gives people confidence that their plane will NOT go down. The risks involved with with recreational aviation are there, but most pilots never dwell on them, otherwise they would never leave the ground.
Training/practice and reality are 2 different things. How a pilot reacts to a critical situation will largely depend on his training, but there is no substitute for the real thing. Simulators can prepare you, but its how you react in the situation is what matters.
You can call anyone who flies over water "unsensible," but the reality is that people have, do, and will continue to do what makes them happy. After crossing the Pacific 100+ times, I can say that until the airplane lands and I hear the screech of the wheels on the runway, Im not comfortable.
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