Guppy,
I find it some what unbelievable that certain people on here are determined to discredit your experience and try to make silly remarks about a very serious subject they clearly do not understand.
I do not have your level of experience yet but I also fly in very tough commercial environments where engine failure is always in the for front of my mind when flying around, nearly always at max gross and often only 500ft.
I learnt in the SE of the England, Redhill to be precise many years ago but have now operated in many countries as a commercial pilot. I now fly in a DHC2 on floats I have to contend with a low level turn after takeoff over rough land at least six times a day, if the engine decides to blow at this point I have seconds to react and that is why my mind is in failure escape mode whilst flying.
I think that a couple of the less professional hobby pilots on here think that means worrying about it all day, this is not the case it is just being very very aware and ready for the worst at all times, that means expecting it and having a plan.
I have had two partial engine failures in my time both meant an unstoppable descent rate, and it was planning and preparation that allowed me to put a bush strip between the ground and the plane in time.
Fuji,
Stop questioning Guppies experience, it is very obvious that he is exactly what he says he is and it only shows your lack of experience very very clearly that you cannot see it. You have realise that your flying environment is very undemanding and as a hobbyist you do not really have the experience and knowledge to judge people who fly for a living and really know about aviation. Oh by the way the guy who did my float rating had 34000hrs TT and 22000hrs on floats, so that kind of blows the you can't get those sort of hours in GA out the water.
Engines do fail and if you put the hours in the odds are one day it will be you as Guppy said "its not if its when".
I have not posted on pprune in months because its has so many complete plonkers on it, this will be my only post as nothing has changed.
Cheers
Last edited by Wildpilot; 9th August 2010 at 12:53.