Engine failures...Best glide or best rate of sink

[TO024]

Engine failures...Best glide or best sink rate

If you had an engine failure would you pitch for best glide or an airspeed that gave you the least sink rate. If there is anyone who has had real engine failures could ya tell me if ya had time to do all the little calculations about distance and sink rate and blah blah or was it just like get this thing down safely... Me and my buddy are arguin over all this.....Thanks

 

[satpak77]

do what the POH says. Don't try to outsmart company test pilots.

 

[TO024]

I agree... My buddy is tryin to tell us that the least sink rate is above stall speed... What would flying that slow do to performance with a failed engine

 

[satpak77]

tell your buddy to read my response above

 

[Amish RakeFight]

If you had an engine failure would you pitch for best glide or an airspeed that gave you the least sink rate. If there is anyone who has had real engine failures could ya tell me if ya had time to do all the little calculations about distance and sink rate and blah blah or was it just like get this thing down safely... Me and my buddy are arguin over all this.....Thanks

Following an engine failure, you should immediately pitch for best glide speed. This should be accomplished by holding your present altitude with pitch while decreasing to this speed. Almost simultaneously you should be looking for a place to land (and heading towards it), preferably an airport or a hard surfaced area if an airport isn't available.

Best glide is intended to allow you to travel a greater distance than minimum sink speed. It all depends on the situation. Published glide speeds are determined at max gross weight and this particular speed decreases as weight decreases. Another thing to mention about best glide speed, if you should encounter a strong headwind, best glide speed will increase; the reverse is true for a tailwind. With a tailwind you'll want to decrease the speed listed as best glide. Most small GA planes have a 7 to 1 glide ratio, give or take. Minimum sink speed will keep you aloft longer, yet decrease the amount of forward distance you'll be able to travel. Once you've reached a suitable landing area, you may switch over to a minimum sink airspeed to survey the area below you for any unseen obstacles or problems with the landing site. It also allows you to remain airborne longer so that you can run checklists and prep the cabin for an off-airport landing. Items such as securing all loose objects, tightening seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, cracking the door open, shutting down the mixture, master, fuel valves, etc. It basically buys you some additional time aloft.

Ultimately, you should go right to best glide speed and only use minimum sink above the intended landing site. Remember, minimum sink is a speed very close to stall and you need to be careful asto not be distracted, especially in an emergency.

 

[TOOL CRIB]

best glide until you get over an airport, then best sink (should it be called worst rate of sink?) until you land

 

[MauleSkinner]

best glide until you get over an airport, then best sink (should it be called worst rate of sink?) until you land

It's called "minimum sink", but unless you've done extensive testing prior to the failure, you're better off sticking to best glide rather than becoming a test pilot during an emergency.

Fly safe!

David

 

[navigator72]

Look at the lift/drag ratio chart in the operating guide.

 

[Rally]

Best glide unless your close to a airport. Minimum sink close to the airport for a restart. But really. Your trained to go best glide, are you really going to be thinking of minimum sink after a engine failure? Your going to be crapping in your pants trying to figure out why it quit. (the overhauler, mechanic that said it was good, carb ice, fuel ETC) AND howmany POH's publish minimum sink numbers, the only ones I've seen have been in gliders and thats for a purpose like staying in the lift.

 

[Singlecoil]

Use minimum sink only if you are over unknown terrain at night or in the clouds. If you can see the ground, use best glide then flare at touchdown. You are much closer to stall speed at minimum sink which wouldn't give you as much speed to flare with.