Vmc Demonstration Lesson Plan

Attention Getter: Illustrate that this is a major risk for multi-engine operations. The tradeoff we
get for the increased performance of a multiengine airplane. Below this speed, recovery from
an engine failure is impossible without making large changes to the aircraft.

Objective: To demonstrate the effects of Vmc and unsure the student knows and understands
how Vmc is determined and affected.

Terms:
1. Vmc: The slowest calibrated airspeed at which, should the critical engine fail, it is
possible to maintain directional control and maintain straight flight with a bank
of no more than 5 degrees.
2. Loss of Directional Control: Uncontrollable yaw as identified from visual
reference to outside cues or heading indicator. The pilot is unable to correct the
yaw with ailerons or rudder because these controls are already fully deflected
3. Vmcg: The minimal controllable airspeed on the ground USING RUDDER ALONE,
not the nosewheel. This assumes the aircraft is on takeoff roll and suffers an
engine failure and continues takeoff. The Seminole cannot continue takeoff, and
must abort takeoff, so this number has little use to us.
4. Vmca: Air minimum controllable airspeed. This is a somewhat outmoded term,
and means basically Vmc in the actual conditions and configuration the aircraft is
currently actually in.
5. Vmc vs. MCA
a. Vmc: Refers to controllability should the critical engine fail in a
multiengine airplane
b. MCA: speed in any airplane at which any increase in AoA, load factor, or
c. reduction in power would result in a stall.
6. Critical Engine
a. Engine whose failure would most adversely effect performance or control
of the airplane.
Factors that effect Vmc

There are several factors that change Vmc, and all have an effect on performance as well. Like
stall speed, we want the aircraft to have a low Vmc, but sometimes the tradeoff results in lower
performance as well.
1.) Increase in density altitude: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. This is because
less density gives the engine less performance, but with less engine performance the
asymmetric thrust is reduced, making the airplane easier to control.
2.) Increase in weight: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. Heavier aircraft need
more engine output to achieve performance, so performance lowers. If the aircraft
is heavier, then lift needs to be increased. If we are at zero sideslip, then the aircraft
is banked into the active engine, and the active-engine-side rudder is pressed. But if
 the vertical component of lift is increased, the horizontal component of lift is also
increased, resulting in less rudder needing to be pressed.
3.) Windmilling prop: Decreases Performance, Increases Vmc. The windmilling prop is
adding a lot of drag to the inoperative-engine-side on top of the loss of thrust. This
increases not only drag, but asymmetric drag, making the aircraft harder to control
and less efficient.
4.) Aft CG: Increases Performance, Increase Vmc. Aft CG increases performance by
reducing tail downforce, but this makes the arm between the rudder and the cg
shorter, which means more effort is required to get the same moment of control
from the rudder.
5.) Flaps extended: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. Flaps add drag to the
aircraft, but due to the keel effect, the aircraft is more resistant to change in relative
wind and make the aircraft easier to control
6.) Gear extended: Decreases Performance, decreases vmc. Gear adds parasite drag,
but again, due to keel effect, makes the aircraft easier to control. This also slightly
brings the cg forward in the Seminole due to the nose coming forward slightly,
increasing rudder effectiveness.
7.) Up to 5 degree bank into the operative engine: Increases Performance, Decreases
Vmc. Makes the airplane easier to control and requires less rudder, which reduces
drag.
8.) High Power: Increases Performance, Increases Vmc. High power means better
performance, but with high power comes more asymmetric thrust which makes the
airplane hard to control.
9.) Critical Engine Failure: Decreases Performance, Increases Vmc. For factors explained
above, the critical engine failing means it is harder to control the airplane. Losing an
engine is always bad for performance.
10.) Out of Ground effect: Decreases performance, increases Vmc. Out of VMC we
need more lift, so we fly a higher angle of attack, increasing P factor.
11.) Trimmed for takeoff: Increases performance, increases Vmc. We are trimmed for
the best takeoff performance, but if we are trimmed as such it means we aren’t
trimmed for the speed we will be once our engine fails, nor will our rudder be
trimmed to assist us controlling the aircraft OEI.

Determination of Vmc
1. Determined to be the worst-case scenario or within reason.
2. Determined by manufacturer following these rules
a. Standard atmosphere
b. Most unfavorable CG and weight (Light and rear)
c. Out of ground effect
d. Critical engine Inop
e. Bank no more than 5 degrees towards operative engine
 i. Why? Because the more you bank the easier it is to control the
aircraft and the slower Vmc will be. If I were an aircraft
manufacturer, I would want to bank my airplanes to 45 degrees
and then measure Vmc, even though that’s unrealistic and
dishonest.
f. Max available takeoff power on each engine initially
g. Trimmed for takeoff
h. Wing flaps set to takeoff position
i. Cowl flaps set to takeoff position
j. Landing gear retracted
k. All prop controls in takeoff condition
l. Rudder force required by pilot shall not exceed 150 lbs
m. Must maintain directional control of +/- 20.

Determination of Critical Engine or “PAST”

1. P-factor. Yawing motion
a. On a conventional twin, both propellers are rotating clockwise from the
pilot’s perspective. Due to the pitch of the airplane, the descending blade
will be at a higher AoA to the wind and moving at a higher relative speed
to the relative wind, which is coming from in front and slightly from
below. This means the right side of the propeller is producing more “lift”
from the prop blade, or thrust. Since the right propeller’s right side is
further away from the center of gravity of the airplane than the left
engine’s right side, it has a longer arm and a larger moment of force
produced. This means the left engine is critical, since the right engine
failing would have less of a yawing effect than the left.

2. Accelerated slipstream Rolling motion

a. Since the right side of the propeller is producing more thrust, the
resultant flow of air over the wing is slightly faster on the right side,
producing slightly more lift on the right side. Again this lift is felt more on
the right because of the longer arm and larger moment for the lift to be
felt. The left engine is critical because having only the right engine going
makes more of a rolling motion than if only the left was going.
3. Spiraling Slipstream Yawing motion
a. Again relating to P-factor, the right side of the propeller is producing
more thrust. More thrust means a faster slipstream A faster slipstream
means that, because of the venturi principle, the pressure is lower on the
right side. This pulls the slipstream to the right. On the left engine, this is
beneficial to control as it pulls the slipstream onto the tail and rudder,
providing easier and more effective control. On the right engine, the
slipstream merely flows away from the airplane, not assisting in control.
4. Torque Rolling motion
 a. Because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and clockwise
spinning blade will have a counter-clockwise spinning reaction. The faster
a blade spins clockwise, the more the airplane wants to roll counter-
clockwise. Again, the left engine is critical due to the arm and moment of
where the torque is coming from. The left engine’s right side trying to roll
the aircraft left has the entire fuselage to lift and roll. The right engine has
a longer arm to it’s right side, providing more moment.
b. Single engine engine: left or right brake wears out faster? Left.
5. Non-conventional twins:
a. Our Seminole has counter-rotating props, which means either both or
neither engine is critical. These factors are all either equally detrimental
or cancel eachother out.
Factors that effect Vmc

There are several factors that change Vmc, and all have an effect on performance as well. Like
stall speed, we want the aircraft to have a low Vmc, but sometimes the tradeoff results in lower
performance as well.
12.) Increase in density altitude: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. This is
because less density gives the engine less performance, but with less engine
performance the asymmetric thrust is reduced, making the airplane easier to
control.
13.) Increase in weight: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. Heavier aircraft
need more engine output to achieve performance, so performance lowers. If the
aircraft is heavier, then lift needs to be increased. If we are at zero sideslip, then the
aircraft is banked into the active engine, and the active-engine-side rudder is
pressed. But if the vertical component of lift is increased, the horizontal component
of lift is also increased, resulting in less rudder needing to be pressed.
14.) Windmilling prop: Decreases Performance, Increases Vmc. The windmilling prop
is adding a lot of drag to the inoperative-engine-side on top of the loss of thrust. This
increases not only drag, but asymmetric drag, making the aircraft harder to control
and less efficient.
15.) Aft CG: Increases Performance, Increase Vmc. Aft CG increases performance by
reducing tail downforce, but this makes the arm between the rudder and the cg
shorter, which means more effort is required to get the same moment of control
from the rudder.
16.) Flaps extended: Decreases Performance, Decreases Vmc. Flaps add drag to the
aircraft, but due to the keel effect, the aircraft is more resistant to change in relative
wind and make the aircraft easier to control
17.) Gear extended: Decreases Performance, decreases vmc. Gear adds parasite drag,
but again, due to keel effect, makes the aircraft easier to control. This also slightly
brings the cg forward in the Seminole due to the nose coming forward slightly,
increasing rudder effectiveness.
 18.) Up to 5 degree bank into the operative engine: Increases Performance,
Decreases Vmc. Makes the airplane easier to control and requires less rudder, which
reduces drag.
19.) High Power: Increases Performance, Increases Vmc. High power means better
performance, but with high power comes more asymmetric thrust which makes the
airplane hard to control.
20.) Critical Engine Failure: Decreases Performance, Increases Vmc. For factors
explained above, the critical engine failing means it is harder to control the airplane.
Losing an engine is always bad for performance.
21.) Out of Ground effect: Decreases performance, increases Vmc. Ground effect is
good for performance, so when we leave it we can expect poorer performance.
Ground effect also helps with
22.) Trimmed for takeoff: Increases performance, increases Vmc. We are trimmed for
the best takeoff performance, but if we are trimmed as such it means we aren’t
trimmed for the speed we will be once our engine fails, nor will our rudder be
trimmed to assist us controlling the aircraft OEI.

Vmc and stall speed

1.) Vmc is affected by altitude, stall speed is not. So the higher we go, the less
performance we get from the engine, the easier it is going to be to control
the asymmetric thrust.
a. But doesn’t that mean our control surfaces will be less effective? Yes, but
this is not as much as a detriment as the adverse thrust is.
2.)
3.) However, in the Seminole, we will always stall first
Vmc Demo

Objective: To simulate to the student factors affect vmc in the airplane.

Warning: this maneuver shall be recovered at the FIRST sign of stall. Stalling with one engine
could easily put us into a spin. This maneuver shall NOT be attempted OEI, but it will be
simulated with the throttle, so the danger of a spin is very real.

Setup:
4000 AGL MRA
2 clearing Turns
BCGUMP
-Boost pumps, ON
-Cylinder heads monitor
-Gas ON
-Undercarriage UP
-Mixtures Smooth operation
-Props HIGH RPM
Execution
Set flaps 0
Reduce airspeed to 98 KIAS
Reduce one throttle to idle
-muting the gear horn is recommended
Increase other throttle to full
 Establish zero sideslip
Increase pitch attitude so that airspeed is lost at rate of 1 knot per second
Adjust rudder and aileron as necessary, as you will need more control input
Upon first indication of loss of directional control OR stall, initiate the recovery
Recovery
Immediately reduce power and reduce angle of attack as required to regain control
Advance throttle to maintain climb speed as necessary
Warm engine that was reduced by setting 15 mp and 2000 rpm
Return to cruise setting once in normal level flight
Turn boost pumps off

Instructor actions
When the throttle is reduced, ensure that the opposite side-sided rudder is NOT being
pressed by mistake. For instance, should the LEFT engine be reduced to idle, the RIGHT rudder
should be pressed. Brace foot against the RIGHT rudder to ensure the LEFT rudder is not
accidentally pressed.

BEST CASE:

Flaps Full
Gear Down
Zero-thrusted engine

WORST CASE

Flaps Zero
Gear Up
Inop engine idle