Bluskis
Two jet failures in approximately 1000 hours of jets
Six piston failures in approximately 2000 hours of piston, of which half SEP half MEP, so you could say in 3000 hours of piston engine operation.
But, as we keep saying, that's just one set of anecdotal experience; we have just heard of the 18,000 hour guy who's never had an engine failure. I imagine that both his and my experiences are in the tails of the normal distribution.
I used to think that people flew singles until they had their first engine failure, then they moved to twins, but I now know this to be rubbish. Keef still flies his Arrer despite his near-death experience (though I do acknowledge that near-death isn't so worrying for a deeply religious person
) and I recently was talking to someone who flies old stuff (Moths and Percivals) who considers engine failures normal operation to be dealt with as they arise.
Also one cannot say too often that the SEP failure is a different beastie from the MEP shutdown. Often the MEP pilot will shut down an engine that an SEP pilot will struggle along with.
W