Mark wrote:
Based on what people are saying in this discussion, it sounds as though a
pilot of a light twin has much to lose, and nothing to gain, vis-a-vis a
high-performance single.

So what is the point of a light twin, other than building hours to qualify
for a "real" multiengine aircraft?

The case against light twin piston aircraft is perhaps a little
overstated, but not by much. The harsh truth is that even at best the
pilot workload in a light twin is a lot heavier than in a single, and
there is no copilot to help. Since many pilots really do not fly all
that much it is difficult to stay current in a twin, which makes the
workload all that more difficult to manage. Add a few problems such as
turbulence in IMC, equipment failure, or an engine failure, and the
pilot can become real busy real fast. Then he better be very alert and
sharp.

But: if he is very alert and sharp, and maybe has somebody with him to
handle a few of the lighter chores, then some light twins will provide
a little more time before the plane is forced to land (a notorious few
will not). This can mean all the difference in the world if you are
flying at night or IMC.

Additionally, the light twin usually is a little faster (which is one
of the things that adds to the pilot workload -- a fast single has the
same problem). This comes at a huge cost in fuel consumption, of
course, but if money is no object the light twin will get you there
sooner.

It is difficult to determine how much of the bad accident record in
light twins is really due to the second engine or just the environment
they are flown in. The accident record in piston airplanes generally
trends worse as the plane gets faster and as it used more for IFR and
night operations anyway. Light twins are also more likely to have
anti-ice systems, which puts the pilot into another dangerous
environment. Typically these systems are not sufficient for operating
for more than short periods of time in icing conditions, but it is real
easy for a pilot to mis-judge the extent of the icing. Then again, the
additional complexity of fuel systems have bitten more than a few
pilots, too.

Once you get into turbo-props you start flying above the weather
(unless you are flying some non-pressurized turbo-prop) and have much
more reliable engines. This eliminates a lot of the problems found in
piston aircraft.