yes dick, it was, indeed a practice auto-rotation landing and that really doesn't make it any less spooky. to hear the motor noise cut down to almost zero tended to make me a little nervous.
after the pilot said "we are going to do an auto-rotation landing" my first response was...awww man, really.
stop by the weld bay inspection station and say hi when you get into town. i am the old guy with the big white goatee.
happy flying guys.
love this site.

Dick - I would like to think that most QHI's teach autorotation as something non-mysterious. Moreover I have worked with many drivers who's heart wouldn't skip a beat in the event of an emergency (although I'm willing to admit they might quickly become quite focused). There are some very level-headed "cool" drivers out there!

If you experience a governor failure which leads to an uncontrollable engine overspeed (something which is also possible as a result of t/r failure) and which cannot be manually controlled, there is no alternative but to shut the engine down - and in a single that means entering autorotation!

Hi Anthony. Not sure that I understand why you would not be able to control a governor overspeed (i take it that you are referring to a runaway up)? The pilot should be able to grip the throttle and take control via the slipping clutch and then switch the gov' off. Which is the reason for the clutch and which is the procedure in the POH. I am also unsure how a T/R failure might cause an uncontrollable engine overspeed. Also, entering autorotation does not necessarily require the pilot to 'shut the engine down' which I take means switching it off. Why would you turn a bad situation into a really bad situation by removing the engine?

Keep the RPM in the green.

Not every runaway can be manually manipulated with the FCL/throttle and low side failures obviously necessitate (for singles) entering autorotation. A shorn t/r driveshaft can result in an engine overspeed which, again, may not necessarily be easily controllable via manual manipulation of the FCL.

Ok Anthony, I am on your page now.
Agreed, some situations would require closing throttle and or engine shut down.
Autorotation is therefore the only option for a single engine pilot.

Keep your RPM in the green.

This is where the internet sometimes fails us for in a normal conversation one would be able to effortlessly explain one's perspective.

And yes, single engine aircraft obviously offer fewer options in regard to engine related problems.

Agreed.

Keep the RPM in the green.