Plain English Meaning

Airplanes that have more than one engine, usually two.

Full 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.

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, , and engine-failure procedures differ from single-engine airplanes.