They do glide very well. You can achieve 2:1 comfortably from most altitudes and even 2.5:1 if minimal curcuit work required ie straight in approach.
are the pilots always looking round for a spot to put them down?
We set range rings on the ehsi according to altitude (eg 40nm @ FL200 ) and so any suitable landing sites on the screen are fair game.
Turnbacks from >1000' are easily achieved - a common error in training is underestimating glide ability and a tendency to over-run. With zero thrust set they just keep floating down the runway! At airfields wiith cross strips, even an engine failure turning crosswind usually means you can continue the turn and land on the adjacent runway.
Cloud breaks are fun too - 1:1 descent from 7nm just below vne giving max inertia for arrival in the curcuit - once again plenty of options (if visual
)
This is all well and good in training that I hope to never use.