r/nextfuckinglevel 26d ago

Engine fails during student pilot’s flight

1.9k Upvotes

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u/tikojonas 26d ago

Insane that this actually happened. During my lessons they would power down the engines on purpose to show it will not fall to the ground but it will float wherever you’re able to go. He executed it perfect when he needed to.

28

u/brunaBla 26d ago

How does this happen? Is this true for smaller planes only?

2

u/Drunk_Stoner 25d ago

Helicopters can “glide” as well using autorotation. The rushing air from falling, spins the blades providing enough lift to safely land, ideally.

There was a great video on here a while ago of a helicopter pilot doing just that and landing safely on a beach after losing power.

Helicopters need some altitude for this to work though. If they are too close to the ground there’s not enough time to generate the lift required.