Definition
A practice maneuver in which a pilot, typically in a turbine or jet aircraft, flies a profile as though the engine has failed and lost all thrust, in order to rehearse a safe glide and landing without engine power. The engine is not actually shut down; the pilot simulates the loss of thrust while maintaining the ability to add power if needed.
Plain English
It is a practice run where the pilot flies as if the engine has quit, so they can train for an engine-out landing without actually stopping the engine.
Context Anchor
You may hear SFO in radio calls when military or jet training traffic requests a practice engine-out approach.
Derivation
Built from the everyday words 'simulated' (pretended, practiced) and 'flameout' (the loss of combustion in a turbine engine, where the flame in the combustion chamber goes out). The term is literal: it is pretending the flame has gone out.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots use the identifier to file flight plans, receive clearances, and confirm destination or alternate airports during operations into or out of the San Francisco area.
Intuition Check
SFO does not automatically mean a real emergency is happening. In this glossary context, it usually means a planned practice approach that imitates an engine failure.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot requested an SFO approach to runway 27 to practice an engine-out landing profile.