Definition
A practice descent profile flown in a jet aircraft as if the engine had failed, beginning at high altitude and ending with a landing or low approach at a runway. The maneuver is flown with the engine still running but at idle or low power, allowing the pilot to rehearse the timing, glide path, and energy management required for an actual engine failure.
Plain English
A training exercise where a jet pilot pretends the engine has quit and practices gliding down to a runway, even though the engine is really still running at low power.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control and airport operations, especially near military or training airports where jet aircraft practice emergency landing patterns.
Derivation
Flameout originally described the literal event of a jet engine's combustion flame going out in flight, leaving the aircraft without thrust. Simulated means the event is staged for practice rather than real, so the pilot can train the response without the actual loss of power.
Why Pilots Care
Provides realistic, low-risk practice of critical decision-making and aircraft handling skills needed to survive an actual engine failure.
Grounding Statement
Picture a jet pilot pulling the power back and gliding toward the runway to practice reaching it safely without relying on engine push.
Intuition Check
A simulated flameout is not an actual engine failure. It is a planned practice maneuver that treats the airplane as if engine thrust were lost.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor cleared the student to begin a simulated flameout from 15,000 feet over the field.
Example Sentence 2
During the checkride, the examiner called for a simulated flameout on downwind to evaluate the applicant's emergency landing judgment.