Some decades ago, I witnessed a Grunau Baby glider (12:1 glide ratio?) release from an aerotow about 150 yards past the airfield boundary.
The pilot made it back to the field without difficulty, but the downwind approach resulted in a fast, heavy landing and minor damage. He would likely have done better landing straight ahead in the maize field, especially with the high wing. In an airliner, the extra 20 kt. is much less a big deal.
The Blanik with its 18:1 glide ratio similar to airliners would be a good machine to familiarise oneself with power-off approaches. And 45 degree bank angles are optimal.
It was suggested earlier to turn upwind immediately on an engine failure. Derek Pigott's advice for a midfield rope-break is to first turn downwind so that you can approach the runway with some headwind component. With an 18:1 glide ratio, you need some room as you are not coming straight down.
And yes, when making a landing approach in a glider, the practice is to accelerate to best glide speed from the minimum sink we were using until our lift/engine ran out and we had to head home.
Now for the big question: will there be enough hydraulics, electricity, air to operate the spoilers
