Engine Out!

The Airplane Becomes a Glider

If the engine stops, the airplane does not fall — it glides. Your job is to fly it down smoothly to the best landing spot you can find. The trick is doing the right things in the right order, fast.

Best glide speed

The exact speed that lets you glide the farthest. In a Cessna 172 it is about 65 knots. Lower the nose right away to hold it — this is your number one action.

Land straight ahead

Look forward, not back. Pick a clear field, road, or open area more or less in front of you, with only small turns.

The impossible turn

Trying to turn all the way back to the runway when you are low. There is not enough height to do it safely, so pilots never try it. Forward and level is the safe choice.

Airplane engines are very reliable — they quit only about once in 100,000 flights. But every good pilot practices for it anyway, because the first few seconds matter most. Lower the nose, pick a spot, fly the airplane.

Instructor Setup

Cessna 172 with G1000, ready for a normal takeoff at a field with open terrain ahead. Plan about 20 minutes. You will simulate the engine failure by smoothly bringing the throttle to idle during the climb. Brief that this is a practice exercise before you begin.

Session Flow

1. Engine-out brief (4 min). At the panel, teach the order: pitch for best glide (65 knots) first, then pick a spot straight ahead, keep wings level, no turn back. Explain the impossible turn in simple terms.
2. Takeoff and climb (3 min). Normal takeoff, climb at Vy. Let the student settle into the climb.
3. Simulated failure (6 min). Bring throttle to idle. Coach the student to immediately lower the nose to 65 knots and call out their chosen field ahead. Reinforce wings level, no turn back.
4. Glide to the spot (5 min). Guide the glide toward the field. If time and altitude allow, mention a brief mayday call. Then reset and repeat once.
5. Wrap (2 min). Recap pitch-first and forward-not-back; preview "Go-Around!"

Emphasize the immediate pitch-down reflex over everything else. The goal is a calm, correct first reaction, not a perfect landing.

Debrief

Confirm the student's first reaction was to pitch for glide and that they chose a spot ahead before moving on.

• Lowered the nose immediately to hold best glide speed (65 knots)
• Chose a landing spot straight ahead, with only small heading changes
• Kept the wings level and did NOT try to turn back to the runway
• Glided toward the chosen spot under control

Next Lesson

Next up is "Go-Around!" (K35): safely calling off a landing and climbing away to try again. If the pitch-for-glide reaction was slow today, run one more simulated failure at the start of K35 before going on.

Skills You'll Work On

These are the maneuvers and procedures covered in this lesson. Your instructor tracks each one as you progress.

• Normal Takeoff & Departure
• General Handling
• Radio Communications

Grades reflect what was covered in this lesson, not a certification of pilot competency.

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: First of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 12, "Pattern and Landing Emergencies." This session covers engine failure after takeoff; K35 covers the go-around and K36 covers choosing and flying to an off-airport landing site.

Prerequisite

Can take off and climb confidently, and fly a stable glide (Stage 1 plus K31-K33).

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator, best-glide-speed card, headset sized for the student.

Goal for this session

Student reacts to a simulated engine failure by pitching for best glide and choosing a landing spot straight ahead.

Looking Ahead

• K35 — Go-Around!: full power, climb, and retract flaps in stages to try the landing again.
• K36 — Emergency Landing: picking the best field and flying a mini pattern to it.