Flight Principles – One Engine Inoperative

References: Airplane Flying Handbook – Chapter 14, Flying Light Twins Safely, Leave Yourself an Out

What
How to maximize performance and maintain control during flight with one engine inoperative
Why
Why do we fly multi-engine aircraft?
• Increased payload
• Faster (longer range)
• Career
• Safer (If we know what we’re doing, we can continue single-engine and land at the
nearest airport. In a single, we don’t have that many options.)
How – New Concepts Related to Single-Engine Operation of a Multi-Engine Airplane
As long as everything is working correctly, the single-engine and multi-engine airplanes are
aerodynamically very similar. It’s when we lose an engine that we see the greatest differences.
What should we do if we lose an engine?

In the Cadet

Stay Calm
Maintain Control
• Pitch
• Moves down, establish best glide speed

• Yaw
• Not much difference

• Roll
• Not much difference

Maximize Performance
• Establish best glide airspeed
Decide what to do
• Troubleshoot
• Land in the near vicinity.
In the Seminole

Stay Calm
Maintain Control
• Pitch
• Maintain a safe airspeed (more to come)

• Yaw – The airplane will yaw toward the inoperative engine

• Asymmetric thrust pivots the airplane about the vertical axis at the CG location
• Counteract the yaw with rudder pressure

• Roll – The airplane will roll toward the inoperative engine

• Induced airflow from the operating engine produces more lift on the wing with the operating engine causing the
airplane to roll about the longitudinal axis
• Counteract roll with ailerons.

What is a critical engine?

It’s the engine whose failure would most adversely affect the performance and handling qualities of the aircraft.
The critical engine on most US twins is the left engine.

• P P-Factor

• A Accelerated Slipstream (Induced airflow over the wings)

• S Spiraling Slipstream

• T Torque
The Seminole doesn’t have a critical engine (counter-rotating propellers)
 Maximize Performance
• Mixtures rich, propeller controls full forward, throttle set to appropriate setting
• Mixtures, props, think!
• Usually full throttle, but if landing you may choose a less than full setting

• Gear Retract, Flaps UP (reduce drag)

• Establish the best airspeed for our particular phase of flight.
• If we are in a climb (as in departing the airport) we will want to establish VYSE.
• VYSE – Blue Line at 88 KIAS
• Best rate-of-climb speed (single-engine). This speed will provide the maximum altitude gain for a given period
of time with one engine inoperative.
• Mention VYSE Demo
• If we are in straight & level cruise, we may choose to exceed VYSE if that helps us to maintain our altitude
• It’s possible above certain altitudes that we will not be able to maintain our altitude.
• Look at performance charts to determine SE service ceiling and SE absolute ceiling.

Single Engine Inoperative Performance Characteristics (Open POH to Section 5)

When we lose an engine, we only lose 50% of our power, but we lose most (80% or more) of our
performance!
An airplane climbs because of excess thrust horse power (ETHP)
When we an engine fails, we lose most of our ETHP.
Just check the POH performance Charts –
Two Engines Operating One Engine Inoperative
Pressure Altitude: 4000’ Pressure Altitude: 4000’
O.A.T.: 10° C O.A.T.: 10° C
Weight: 3800 lbs. Weight: 3800 lbs.
Rate of Climb: 950 fpm Rate of Climb: 15 fpm

950 fpm
- 15 fpm
935 fpm difference

= 98% loss of performance!!!

Now, let’s take off from Vail, CO on a warm day.

Two Engines Operating One Engine Inoperative
Pressure Altitude: 8000’ Pressure Altitude: 8000’
O.A.T.: 20° C O.A.T.: 20° C
Weight: 3800 lbs. Weight: 3800 lbs.
Rate of Climb: 500 fpm Rate of Climb: -200 fpm

If we continue to pitch up in an attempt to maintain our altitude or squeeze more performance out
of our aircraft, our speed will decrease below VYSE and eventually reduce to VMCA. At this
airspeed, we will no longer be able to maintain control of the aircraft without making corrective
actions.
What is VMC?
VMC – red line (23.149) VMC is the calibrated airspeed at which, when the critical engine is suddenly
made inoperative, it is possible to maintain control of the airplane with that engine still inoperative,
and thereafter maintain straight flight at the same speed with an angle of bank of not more than 5
degrees. The method used to simulate critical engine failure must represent the most critical mode of
powerplant failure expected in service with respect to controllability.
VMC must be determined with the most unfavorable weight and center of gravity position and with the
airplane airborne and the ground effect negligible, for the takeoff configuration(s) with--
• Maximum available takeoff power initially on each engine;
• The airplane trimmed for takeoff;
• Flaps in the takeoff position(s);
• Landing gear retracted; and
• All propeller controls in the recommended takeoff position throughout.
VMC is NOT a static number
There are multiple factors that affect VMC and aircraft performance and control.

Factors that we as pilots can not control once airborne

Airspeed at which loss of
Factor Effect on Performance Effect of Controllability control (VMCA) will occur
Lower is better.
Weight – Heavy With more weight, the A heavier airplane is less
 engine’s thrust is less  susceptible to the yawing
effective. force created by the engine.
(inertia) But it should also be Lower
noted that a heavy aircraft is
also harder to recover once it
has been disrupted.

Weight – Light With less weight, the engine’s
 thrust is more effective.
A lighter airplane is more
 easily disrupted by the yawing
Higher
force created by the engine.
(inertia)

Center of With a forward C.G., a higher
Gravity – Fwd.  A.O.A. is required and in turn
performance is reduced.
With a forward C.G., the
 length of the “arm” from the
C.G. to the rudder control
surface is longer and more
effective.
Lower
With forward C.G.s, VMC is reduced
because of the gain in controllability
from the rudder control surface.

Center of With an aft C.G., less A.O.A. With an aft C.G., the length of Higher
Gravity – Aft  is required to achieve  the “arm” from the C.G. to the
airspeeds and therefore, rudder control surface is VMC is at its highest in this
performance is increased. shorter and less effective. scenario.

High Density The engine will not produce
Altitude  as much power AND the
propeller’s efficiency will also
be reduced which in turn
reduces the amount of
yawing force produced.
Since there is less yawing
 force, controllability is
increased compared to a
Lower
lower density altitude day.

Low Density The engine will produce more
Altitude  thrust than on a high density
altitude day AND the
propeller will be more
efficient which in turn will
produce MORE yawing force.
With the greater yawing force
 produced by the engine and
propeller, controllability is
Higher
reduced.
Factors that we as pilots can control
Airspeed at which loss of
Factor Effect on Performance Effect of Controllability control (VMCA) will occur
Lower is better.
Less drag, better The increased performance
Gear Up  performance.  reduces controllability
Higher

More drag, reduces Controllability is increased by

Gear Down  performance.  the keel effect from the gear.
Lower

Lots of drag reducing The drag from the windmilling

Windmilling Prop  performance.  propeller yaws the airplane.
Higher

Drag reduced to a minimum. Lack of windmilling prop helps

Feathered Prop   with control immensely.
Lower

With zero degrees of bank, Since the rudder surface is

 the lateral lift created by the  more aligned with the R.W. in
deflected rudder surface this situation, its effectiveness
combined with the forward is also reduced which in turn
Angle of Bank
thrust produces a sideslip reduces controllability. Higher
Not Enough
condition towards the
inoperative engine creating
drag and reducing
performance.

Best possible performance. Better controllability. The

Angle of Bank  Use the yarn to ensure that  rudder surface is less aligned Lower
Enough the aircraft is in a no sideslip with the relative wind. Best Possible
condition.

Since the aircraft is put into a Control is at its best, but at

 sideslip in the opposite  the sacrifice of performance.
direction, performance The R.W. now strikes the side
Angle of Bank suffers because of added of the rudder surface which
Higher
Too Much drag. makes it very effective. Bank
angles over 5 degrees should
only be used to gain control
over the aircraft.

Why are sideslips bad and why do we want to establish a zero sideslip condition?