Definition
A practice approach and landing procedure performed by a jet aircraft (typically military) in which the pilot flies as if the engine has failed (flamed out), without actually shutting it down. The engine is kept at idle or low power so the aircraft glides toward the runway along a steep, power-off profile, allowing the pilot to rehearse the energy management needed for a real engine-out landing.
Plain English
A pretend engine-failure landing. The pilot flies the aircraft toward the runway as if the engine has quit, even though it is still running at idle, so they can practice gliding it down safely.
Context Anchor
You may hear SFO in air traffic control communications around airports that handle military jet training.
Derivation
Flameout originally described a jet engine's combustion flame literally going out, which stops the engine. Simulated means the failure is being acted out rather than actually happening, so the crew can train for it safely.
Why Pilots Care
It lets pilots develop accurate judgment and muscle memory for real flameouts, which are time-critical emergencies that can lead to off-airport landings if mishandled.
Grounding Statement
Picture a jet high above the airport practicing how to glide and manage energy so it can still reach the runway if engine power were lost.
Intuition Check
SFO does not mean the aircraft is on fire or that an actual emergency has occurred. It means the pilot is practicing a flameout-type landing with the engine still controlled by the pilot.
Example Sentence 1
The fighter pilot called the tower and requested an SFO approach to runway 27.
Example Sentence 2
During the checkride the examiner requested a simulated flameout to evaluate the pilot's energy management to the runway.