Definition
Airplanes powered by two or more engines. In FAA training and certification, the term most commonly refers to airplanes with two engines (twins), though it includes any airplane with more than one engine. Multiengine airplanes have distinct handling, performance, and emergency procedures compared to single-engine airplanes, particularly when one engine fails.
Plain English
Airplanes that have more than one engine, usually two.
Context Anchor
Seen in airplane handling discussions, especially when comparing slow flight, stalls, takeoffs, landings, and engine-failure procedures between single-engine and multiengine airplanes.
Derivation
From 'multi-' (Latin multus, meaning many) and 'engine.' Literally 'many-engined,' though in practice it usually means two.
Why Pilots Care
Slow-flight handling, stall recovery, and engine-failure procedures differ from single-engine airplanes.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “multiengine” just means a bigger airplane. The important point is that more than one engine can create both extra power and extra control concerns if the power is not balanced.
Example Sentence 1
Slow flight in multiengine airplanes is practiced with both engines operating to establish baseline handling before engine-out work is introduced.
Example Sentence 2
In multiengine airplanes, slow flight is performed with both engines operating to build engine-out awareness.