Testing your glide. Are people doing this?

"Jay Honeck" writes:

Now that we monitor Unicom at all hours, I can tell you that it is
VERY rare to hear someone practicing any "engine out" procedures
over our airport. Even though we have a very active bunch of flight
instructors, we almost never hear anyone announce this extremely
important routine.

During my training (at controlled airport), a simulated engine failure
on base or final wouldn't generate any radio activity at all; a
simulated engine failure in the downwind would be preceeded by a call
to tower "request direct to threshold." It would be hard for someone
to know what we were practicing simply by monitoring the radio
traffic.

At the flying club where I trained, you cannot get cleared for first
solo by without first demonstrating a good command of engine-out
procedures in the circuit (there's a long checklist of items -- I
think it comes from Transport Canada). I had to demonstrate deadstick
landings from downwind and base again during training for my night
rating.


All the best,


David