Adding a multi-engine rating changes how you fly. You’re not just managing one engine anymore – you’re coordinating two, handling asymmetric thrust, dealing with engine failures that don’t mean immediate landing. It’s challenging, rewarding, and honestly more fun than single-engine flying once you get the hang of it.
Quick Answer: Multi-engine rating requires 10-15 hours of training (no minimum by regulation) and costs $5,000-$8,000. Training covers normal twin operations plus single-engine procedures – engine failures on takeoff, landings, approaches, Vmc demos, and emergency procedures. Checkride’s about 2 hours – oral exam covering systems and aerodynamics, then flight demonstrating proficiency with one engine inoperative. Key challenges: Managing asymmetric thrust, maintaining directional control after engine failure, understanding Vmc and performance limitations. Opens opportunities for commercial aviation, charter work, and access to faster, more capable aircraft.
Why Get a Multi-Engine Rating
Look, most multi-engine ratings aren’t about utility. Let’s be honest – unless you’re flying long distances regularly or carrying heavy loads, you don’t NEED a twin. They’re expensive to buy, expensive to operate, expensive to maintain. Two of everything means twice the cost.
But multi-engine’s required for most professional flying jobs. Airlines, charter operations, corporate flight departments – they fly multi-engine aircraft. Want to be a professional pilot? You need the rating. It’s a stepping stone to commercial aviation careers.
Plus twins are legitimately cool to fly. Faster than comparable singles, better redundancy (though single-engine performance varies widely), more sophisticated systems. If you’re into aviation as a serious hobby or profession, multi-engine’s a natural progression.
Prerequisites
You need at least a private pilot certificate to add a multi-engine rating. No specific hour requirements – FAA says you need “proficiency,” which usually takes 10-15 hours. Some pilots nail it in 8-10 hours if they’re sharp. Others need 15-20 if they’re struggling with single-engine control.
Instrument rating’s not required but highly recommended. Most multi-engine training assumes you’re instrument-rated because that’s how twins are typically flown. Some schools won’t train you without an instrument rating. Technically you can get a multi-engine VFR-only rating, but it’s rare and limits your usefulness.
If you’re going for your commercial certificate, you can combine multi-engine and commercial training. Do the commercial checkride in a multi-engine plane and you get both commercial and multi-engine at once. Saves time and money versus doing them separately.
Training Aircraft
Most training’s done in Piper Seminoles or Beechcraft Duchess aircraft – light twins designed for training. They’re docile, forgiving, affordable (relatively). Operating costs run $250-350/hour wet, which is why multi-engine training’s expensive.
Some schools use Piper Senecas, Cessna 310s, or other light twins. Bigger, more complex, more expensive. Unless you’re planning to fly that specific type, stick with a basic trainer. The rating’s the same regardless of aircraft.
After you get the rating, you’ll need specific type training to fly different twins. Insurance usually requires 10-25 hours of dual instruction in type before they’ll cover you solo. Twins vary significantly in handling characteristics – training in a Seminole doesn’t make you proficient in a Baron.
What You’ll Learn – Normal Operations
First chunk of training’s just learning to fly a twin normally – both engines running, everything working. Seems simple, but there’s more to manage:
Engine management: Synchronizing RPMs so they’re not beating against each other. Leaning two engines independently. Managing two mixture controls, two throttles, two prop controls. Monitoring two sets of instruments – oil pressure, oil temp, CHTs, EGTs, fuel flows. Sounds overwhelming initially, becomes routine quickly.
Fuel management: Most twins have multiple tanks per side – mains, auxiliaries, sometimes tip tanks. You’re switching tanks, balancing fuel burn, making sure you don’t run a tank dry. Fuel selectors vary by aircraft – some are simple, others are complicated. Mismanaging fuel’s a great way to have a bad day.
Speed control: Twins have more V-speeds to remember. Vmc (minimum controllable speed with one engine out), Vyse (best single-engine rate of climb), Vxse (best single-engine angle of climb), blue line speed. Plus all the normal V-speeds. You’ll memorize them till they’re automatic.
Systems: Gear systems (most training twins are retractable), flap systems, electrical systems with multiple alternators, vacuum systems, pressurization if applicable. More complex than single-engine aircraft. You’ll learn schematics, limitations, emergency procedures for system failures.
What You’ll Learn – Single-Engine Operations
Here’s where it gets real. Losing an engine in a twin doesn’t mean you glide down like a single-engine plane. It means you’re fighting asymmetric thrust – one engine pulling, one engine dead (or worse, windmilling and creating drag). The live engine tries to yaw you into the dead engine. If you don’t counter it properly, you’ll spin.
Engine failure identification: Which engine quit? Dead foot, dead engine – whichever rudder pedal goes slack, that’s your dead engine. You’ll practice this till it’s instinctive. Identify, verify, feather. Don’t feather the wrong engine – that’s how pilots die.
Immediate action items: Mixture, props, throttle on dead engine – identify and verify. Feather the dead engine’s prop to reduce drag. Maintain directional control with rudder. Establish best single-engine climb speed (Vyse, the blue line on the airspeed indicator). Trim rudder to reduce pedal pressure.
Vmc demonstrations: You’ll slow down with one engine at idle and the other at full power until you can’t maintain directional control anymore – that’s Vmc. It’s eye-opening. Below Vmc, full rudder won’t keep you straight. You’ll roll toward the dead engine and potentially spin. This is why you don’t fly slowly in twins.
Single-engine approaches and landings: Flying a normal pattern and approach with one engine caged. Shallower turns (bank angle increases stall speed), careful speed control, proper configuration. Can’t go around as easily with one engine – your single-engine climb rate might be 200 fpm or less. Commit to the landing once you’re in too close to climb out.
Engine failures on takeoff: The scariest scenario. Full power, just lifted off, suddenly one engine quits. If you’re below blue line speed, you’re in serious trouble – might not have enough rudder authority to control it. You’ll practice these at altitude first, then close to the ground with your instructor ready on the controls.
The Checkride
Oral exam covers twin aerodynamics and systems. Examiner will ask about:
– Vmc and factors affecting it (weight, CG, altitude, temperature)
– Single-engine performance and climb rates
– Fuel systems and crossfeed procedures
– Electrical systems and alternator failures
– Engine-out procedures and emergencies
– Weight and balance for twins (often CG-critical)
Be ready to explain why twins handle the way they do. It’s not just memorization – they want understanding. Why does Vmc increase with aft CG? Why does reducing power on the good engine help controllability? Know this stuff.
Flight portion includes:
– Normal takeoffs and landings
– Short-field and soft-field takeoffs and landings (if the aircraft is capable)
– Steep turns
– Slow flight (both engines and single-engine)
– Stalls (approach and departure configurations, both engines and single-engine)
– Engine failure after takeoff (at safe altitude)
– Vmc demonstration
– Engine failure during cruise – identification, verification, feathering, securing
– Single-engine approach and landing
– Engine failure on approach (go-around decision, or continue to landing)
Checkride’s demanding. You’re demonstrating proficiency in an abnormal situation (engine failure) that most pilots never experience for real. Examiner’s watching your rudder control, speed control, decision-making. Don’t bust altitude, don’t let speed decay below Vmc, don’t lose control.
Vmc – The Critical Speed
Vmc’s the most important concept in multi-engine flying. It’s the minimum speed at which you can maintain directional control with one engine at takeoff power and the other engine failed. Below Vmc, you can’t hold heading even with full rudder.
Published Vmc is determined at specific conditions: max gross weight, most critical CG (usually aft), sea level, standard temp, landing gear up, flaps in takeoff position, windmilling prop (not feathered), max power on good engine.
Real-world Vmc can be higher than published. At lighter weights, Vmc increases (less inertia to resist yaw). At aft CG, Vmc increases (less rudder effectiveness). At high altitude, Vmc increases (less rudder effectiveness in thin air). You can’t just memorize the book number – you need to understand the factors.
Flying below Vmc with an engine out is deadly. You’ll lose directional control, roll inverted, spin. This is why multi-engine training emphasizes maintaining blue line speed after engine failure. Blue line (Vyse) is always well above Vmc, giving you controllability plus climb performance.
Single-Engine Performance
Here’s the dirty secret about light twins: single-engine climb performance sucks. That Seminole might climb at 200-300 fpm with one engine out – on a good day, at light weight, low altitude. Add weight, altitude, or temperature and it might not climb at all. “Multi-engine” doesn’t guarantee you’ll make it over obstacles if you lose one.
Heavy cabin-class twins do better – a Baron or Seneca might climb 500-800 fpm single-engine at gross weight. But light twins are marginal. This is why multi-engine pilots treat engine failures seriously – you don’t have massive performance margins.
Know your airplane’s single-engine service ceiling. That’s the altitude at which single-engine climb rate drops to 50 fpm. Above that, you’re descending if you lose an engine. Many light twins have single-engine service ceilings around 5,000-7,000 feet. Flying over mountains at 12,000 feet? You’re gliding to an airport if you lose one.
Decision Points
Multi-engine pilots calculate decision points for every takeoff. If an engine fails before V1 (or Vmc, whichever’s higher), you abort the takeoff – close both throttles, land straight ahead. If it fails after V1, you continue the takeoff – you’re committed, can’t stop on remaining runway.
This isn’t just theory. You actually calculate it – runway length, weight, density altitude, obstacles. Some takeoffs have no safe abort point – if you lose an engine at any point, you can’t stop in time. Other takeoffs have good abort margins. The calculation determines your plan before you ever add power.
Same concept for single-engine approaches. Where’s your commitment point? Once you’re below a certain altitude on approach with one engine out, you’re committed to landing – you can’t climb out with one engine. Know that altitude before you start the approach. It’s usually 500-1,000 feet AGL depending on performance.
Costs
Multi-engine training’s expensive because twin time’s expensive:
– Aircraft rental: $250-350/hour wet
– Instructor: $50-80/hour
– Ground instruction: 3-5 hours
– Flight instruction: 10-15 hours
– Checkride (DPE fee): $600-800
– Examiner’s aircraft time: 1.5-2 hours at rental rate
Total: $5,000-$8,000 typically. Could be less if you’re efficient, could be more if you need extra hours or fly a more expensive twin. This is why a lot of pilots combine it with commercial training – get two ratings for not much more total cost.
Accelerated courses run $6,000-$9,000 all-inclusive for a week or two of intensive training. Advantage is you’re immersed in it – fly twice a day, study in between, finish fast. Disadvantage is it’s intense and expensive up front. Some people learn better stretched over a few weeks.
After the Checkride
Passing the checkride means you’re legal to fly multi-engine aircraft. It doesn’t mean you’re proficient in all twins. Insurance will require type-specific training for any twin you actually want to fly. A 25-hour checkout in a Baron’s typical before insurance will cover you solo.
Stay current. Multi-engine skills degrade fast if you don’t use them. Fly a twin quarterly at minimum, practice engine-out procedures regularly (at altitude with a safety pilot or instructor). Rusty multi-engine skills are dangerous – engine failures are already emergencies, being rusty makes them way worse.
Consider recurrent training annually. BFRs in a multi-engine aircraft keep your skills sharp. Some pilots do annual IPCs in twins even if their instrument currency’s current. Simulated engine failures on approaches are great practice.
Career Benefits
Multi-engine’s pretty much required for professional pilot careers. Airlines want to see multi-engine time – many require 50-100 hours minimum. Charter companies fly twins and turboprops – all multi-engine. Corporate jobs same deal.
Building multi-engine time’s a pain because it’s expensive. Some pilots instruct in multi-engine aircraft to build time (requires a CFII-MEI rating). Others find right-seat opportunities in charter or cargo operations. Time-building in twins is slow unless you’re getting paid to fly them.
If your goal’s professional flying, get the rating as soon as practical after your commercial. Don’t wait. Every hour you fly after that should be multi-engine if possible – it’s what employers value most. Single-engine time’s great for foundational skills, multi-engine time’s what gets you hired.
Is It Worth It?
For recreational pilots not pursuing professional flying? Maybe, maybe not. Twins are expensive to operate and maintain. Unless you’re regularly flying long distances or carrying heavy loads, a high-performance single (Bonanza, Saratoga, Cirrus) might make more sense.
For aspiring professional pilots? Absolutely essential. You can’t get to the airlines without it. Might as well get it sooner than later. Every hour you log multi-engine makes you more employable.
For pilots who just love flying and want the challenge? Yeah, it’s rewarding. Multi-engine flying’s more demanding, more complex, more engaging. If you’re the type who gets bored easily, twins stay interesting. And honestly? They’re fast and comfortable for serious cross-country travel. Just be ready for the costs.
Leave a Reply