There's another fly in the ointment here. I've had very good luck with my practice engine out work (fixed pitch prop, engine in idle), but not perfect. I've always gotten to a landable spot, but several times I've blown the final pattern and had to add power to make a landing. Every case is a little different: different landing surface length; different winds; different starting altitude. It's obvious to me that practice is more of a factor than knowing precisely what your glide ratio is. I can tell straight away, without involving too many brain cells, whether my plane is going to reach a given spot. I do the math, just to add confidence, but if I set speed and see where the plane is going always works. My most consistant problem has been the urge to land at the beginning of the runway instead of a third or so down, and then running out of energy.

Just my thoughts -- hope it adds to the discussion.


Bill Kennedy
N42BK