Originally Posted by
Pace
Flying is all about risk management and in an SEP there are obviously risks flying over water.
You can minimise those risks by not flying over water on windy days where those pretty white bits 2000 feet below are 20 foot waves close to.
Fly as high as you can! Note the position of boats and ships and wind direction
The chances of a complete engine failure are small and more likely a loss of power so keep an eye on the engine gauges , fuel quantity and if you have carb heat check regularly.
Don't set off late in the day where should you go down there is a short time till darkness and search and rescue will have problems
Talk to someone and preferably be on radar
But it is risk management and some are prepared to take more risk than others
I don't like SEP at night and must admit admire the guts of those who do long ferry flights in SEP planes over the North Atlantic
Unless you stay within the UK you have to fly a water crossing and I have done in the past many times but its amazing how a normally smooth engine always sounds rough over water especially the mid part
Pace
I fly the channel once or twice a month in a SEP and would support everything that has been posted above plus:
Carry a GPS linked PLB such as a McMurdo Fast Find (on your body, not in your flight bag!) where you can get at and activate it easily.
Wear a life jacket: you won't have time to don it on your way down to a ditching.
Keep a life raft close to hand where you can get it out easily. When I'm single pilot, I keep mine on the passenger seat strapped in by the seat belt together with a water proof, buoyant, ditching bag containing my hand held radio as well as dry clothes and shoes.
Do a ditching course: it's a real eye opener!
When flying the crossing, I keep my No 2 GPS tuned to the nearest airport and monitor it so I'll know immediately the heading and distance and whether it's in glide range or not if the engine fails.
All that said: there's no greater probability of something going wrong over the sea than at any other time (although, as Pace has said: my engine also has a warped sense of humour, seems to know when it's over water, and tries to wind me up by making funny noises every time I fly the channel!).