Rod1,
I encourage pilots to seek out a CFI prior to praticing emergency procedures, because it is important that the sequence of steps during an emergency are done correctly.
My main point is, how many times have you heard of a pilot feathering the wrong engine because the pilot DID NOT follow the proper procedures, I can go on and on with examples, of emergencies that should had been recoverable but weren't because the pilot made critical mistakes during the emergency that compounded the situation.
Whenever a pilot hasn't flown for awhile he or she tends to get rusty, and it's easy to forget an important step when an emergency decides to present itself. After brushing up on emergency procedures with a CFI, I see nothing wrong with a pilot praticing on their own, but it doesn't hurt to have another pilot on board to critique how you handled the simulated emergency.
In the USA we hold Pilot safety seminars called Operation Rain Check, that give pilots an oportunity to discuss safety procdures and fly with a CFI to learn and test their knowledge of the proper steps for handling various emergencies.
Constant pratice makes the emergency procedures automatic, I just don't want to see the pilot leaving out important steps and making a bad situation worse.
Mike
FWA