Discussion » Questions » Travel » If one engine fails on a twin-engined aircraft there will always be enough power to get to the scene of the crash.
Benedict Arnold

If one engine fails on a twin-engined aircraft there will always be enough power to get to the scene of the crash.

What words of reassurance would you give a nervous passenger?

Posted - January 26, 2017
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Responses


  • 7683
    Didge has arranged for your hospital stay....have no fear;))
      January 26, 2017 10:26 PM MST
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  • There are complimentary beds in the ER. 
      January 26, 2017 10:58 PM MST
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  • 7683
    I like the word complimentary Didge;))
      January 26, 2017 11:00 PM MST
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  • All part of our after-crash care, Veena. 

    Have a look at this one. Light plane crashed during Australia Day celebrations yesterday. 
      January 26, 2017 11:33 PM MST
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  • 12
    I am not sure there would have been anything to say for the pilot of this plane and his wife as they both died.  Very sad.
      January 27, 2017 3:34 AM MST
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  • 2500

    I think that those words are actually in the Piper Seneca manual.

    Also remember that the pilot will be the first one on the scene.

    But also remember that a multi-engine aircraft performs MUCH better after an engine failure than does a single-engine aircraft.

      January 26, 2017 11:30 PM MST
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  • I saw it on the clubhouse wall of an ultralight landing field. It had lots of helpful suggestions like, 
    -- Never fly with a pilot who is braver than you. And
    -- Keep away with the edges of the air. The edges of the air are trees, mountains, buildings, the ground.
      January 26, 2017 11:51 PM MST
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  • 2500
    I'm serious about the Piper Seneca. It was a light twin engine aircraft with powerplants that were a tad on the small side. Pilots swore that it didn't have enough power to fly safely on a single engine. But that may have been that "critical engine" issue combined with pilot inexperience (it was a relatively inexpensive aircraft aimed at first time twin engine aircraft owners. Who really knows?

    Another valuable pilot axiom is: The three most useless things to a pilot are 1) sky above you, 2) runway behind you and 3) fuel on the ground.
      January 28, 2017 11:44 AM MST
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  • Useless indeed. 

    In hang gliding circles there's an axiom that it's better to be sitting on the hill wishing you were flying, than to be flying and wishing you were sitting on the hill. :( 
      January 28, 2017 11:56 AM MST
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  • It only hurts for a second.
      January 27, 2017 3:02 AM MST
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  • Yeah, that'd be reassuring. :) 
      January 27, 2017 3:36 AM MST
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  • Hey, at least we die with some dignity when the fire hides the fact that we crapped our pants.
      January 27, 2017 3:44 AM MST
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  • There must be a lot of that in a plane crash. It's such a natural, automatic thing to do. I hadn't thought of it. 

    I read somewhere that the comment most recorded on black box flight recorders, immediately before impact, is Oh shit! In view of your comment I'm gonna have to rethink what that means to me. 
      January 27, 2017 3:48 AM MST
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  • 170
    I get all that I need to know about flying from this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KbUNzi58wM

    (I still managed around 300 flights without ever panicking (too much).
      January 27, 2017 3:58 AM MST
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  • I got just far enough to learn that he's a self-employed civil servant. I don't have time to watch it now but I've bookmarked it and will certainly listen later today. Thanks for a fun link.
      January 27, 2017 2:05 PM MST
    0

  • 170
    A 747 from Aer Lingus was crossing the Atlantic. A few hours into the flight the pilot announced:

    "I'm afraid we've lost engine number one, but don't worry, the 747 can fly safely on 3 engines, but it does mean that our journey will take longer into the headwinds."

    An hour or two later:

    "I'm afraid I've had to shut down engine number 3, but there's no need to worry folks, we can fly on quite safely, the 747 is a fine aircraft and it can easily fly on just two engines, but we are going to be very late landing at Kennedy."

    Another hour:

    "This is really a first everyone, you may just have seen engine number 2 flame out, so I've had to shut it down, but there really is no need to worry, we're not far from the US and the 747 was extensively tested flying on one engine, and we have all been trained to fly under these conditions. The bad news is that we are going to be even later arriving."

    At this point, Paddy O'Reilly turned to the passenger sitting next to him.

    "Let's hope that last engine doesn't pack up otherwise we'll be up here forever!"
      January 27, 2017 3:55 AM MST
    5

  • 44614
    One of my favorites, but I use blonds.
      January 27, 2017 12:36 PM MST
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  • You caught me by surprise and got the biggest laugh. :D When I tell Mrs Didge you'll probably hear her laughing from there. 
      January 27, 2017 2:07 PM MST
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  • 5614
    "Don't worry about getting there. Wherever you hit will be the scene of the crash, one engine or none." This post was edited by O-uknow at January 27, 2017 2:07 PM MST
      January 27, 2017 5:18 AM MST
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  • 44614
    Dang...you beat me to it. Trick question.
      January 27, 2017 12:37 PM MST
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  • 44614
    Nice one Didge...only O-uKnow and me caught it. Trick question.
      January 27, 2017 12:38 PM MST
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  • An easy one to fall into. :) 
      January 27, 2017 2:08 PM MST
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  • 44614
    Sort of like: How much dirt is in a 1m x 2m x 3m hole?
      January 28, 2017 7:17 AM MST
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  • Just like that. It's natural to fall into them unless you're the suspicious type. :) 
      January 28, 2017 11:37 AM MST
    0