locknut,
This is not intended to tell anyone to suck eggs and most of this is statinf the obvious.....
I've pulled out the POH for the BE58
as an example. In Section X - Safety Information it says in the introduction, 'The skilled pilot recognises that safety is an integral - and never ending - part of his or her job.........Maintain your currency and fly with a qualified instructor until you are qualified
and proficient'
(my emphasis). Further on it says, 'The major difference between flying a twin-engine and single-engine aeroplane is knowing how to manage the flight if one engine loses power for any reason. Safe flight with one engine inoperative requires an understanding of the basic aerodynamics involved - as well as
proficiency in engine out procedures'
(my emphasis again).
So in response to the first portion of your post; regardless of what the flying school or instructor allows, anyone who wants to survive to go fishing with their kids on Saturday should not accept an endorsement before they are comfortable and
proficient with the
correct procedures for handling an emergency; forget about 'never mind if you're not up to it, you can do this instead' plan. OK, Utopian thinking, I agree, for the average cash-strapped young wannabe.
I don't believe in aborting airborne. An abort is a rejected take-off. Once I'm airborne it is a forced landing.
In regard to the decision point, it comes back to the POH. What does the POH (ie, the highly paid and proficient test pilots, the company litigation lawyers and the FAA/CASA) say. Again, back to Section X of the POH, it says (for the BE58) 'Know and follow, to the letter, the single-engine emergency procedures specified in your Pilot's Operating Handbook and FAA approved flight manual for you specific make and model airplane.' It then talks about generic principles and then refers the user back to the wealth of information available in the various graphs and tabulated data.
Assuming VMC/VFR: The TAKE-OFF WEIGHT graph will tell me whether I can achieve a positive single engine rate of climb at lift-off with (in this case) flaps up and gear down. If I can climb away then I would look at the ACCELERATE - STOP graph to see if an abort at lift-off is going to leave me with enought runway to stop and add that gem to my brief. If I can't climb away at lift off I would consider the TAKE - OFF DISTANCE graph to give me an idea of what distance it will take me to reach the single engine climb speed and also look at the LANDING DISTANCE graph from 50ft, add those distances together and then visually assess the chances of a safe forced landing in that area of the take-off path and, if I think I can put it down safely in that area, add that to my brief. The next stage is to assess my single engine climb performance at single engine climb speed to see what gradient I can make and assess, visually or mathematically, whether that will keep me clear of terrain. I then add that component to my brief. If I am unsure as to the safe outcome of any portion of the take-off, on the balance of risk, I will take steps (reduce weight/wait/change departure direction) to make it safe or I will not go.
So the decision speeds and procedures are as per the POH: lift-off (abort or continue) and single engine climb speed (fly away or conduct a forced landing). the brief will be: 'Prior to lift-off I will abort and the result will be ......... After lift-off and prior to single engine climb speed of XXkts I will............After reaching single engine climb speed I will..........' Because I will not fly unsupervised unless I am
proficient with the emergency procedures, I can make them work. There is simply no data available to make clear assessments as to what will happen in between and very few pilots have the experience in those situations to tell them.
My advice to everyone is to listen to what people have to say in these forums and in your flight schools and workplaces but don't believe anything until you validate it through the authorised publications and manuals, be proficient and above all
read the POH.
