The Top 5 Checkride Mistakes in a Multi-Engine Aircraft (and How to Avoid Them)

Getting your multi-engine rating is one of the most exciting milestones in a pilot’s career. It’s the moment you move from "light" aviation into the world of high-performance, complex systems, and the true redundancy of a second engine. At Ace Pilot Academy, we love seeing students master the Twin Comanche (PA-30). It’s a responsive, honest airplane that rewards precision.

However, the multi-engine checkride is a different beast than your Private or Commercial single-engine rides. The stakes are higher because the physics of asymmetric thrust don't care about your feelings. Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs) aren't looking for perfection, but they are looking for safety, command, and a deep understanding of the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS).

If you want to walk away with that temporary certificate in hand, you need to avoid the common pitfalls that trip up even the most prepared applicants. Here are the top five multi-engine checkride mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. The "Identify, Verify, Feather" Flub

The engine failure simulation is the core of the multi-engine checkride. When the DPE pulls a throttle back, your brain is going to want to move fast. Speed is good, but haste is dangerous. The most common mistake is misidentifying the failed engine and: in a worst-case scenario: feathering the prop on the engine that is still providing thrust.

The Fix: Dead Foot, Dead Engine

Never rush the physical identification. Use the "Dead Foot, Dead Engine" mnemonic. If you are pushing hard on the right rudder to keep the nose straight, your left foot is "dead." Therefore, the left engine is the one that failed.

1. Identify: State out loud, "Dead foot, dead engine. Left engine has failed."

2. Verify: Retard the throttle of the suspected failed engine slightly to ensure there is no change in yaw.

3. Feather: Only after verification do you simulate (or execute, depending on the scenario) the feathering.

In the Twin Comanche, the yaw can be subtle at first compared to larger twins, but it’s there. Trust your feet, not your eyes. Instruments can lag; your inner ear and your rudder pedals don’t.

2. Rushing the Gear Retraction

In a single-engine airplane, the gear usually stays down until you’re well clear of the runway. In a twin, we want that drag gone as soon as possible if we lose an engine. However, many students get "itchy fingers" and go for the gear handle before they’ve established a positive rate of climb or before they’ve run out of usable runway.

The Fix: Positive Rate and No More Runway

The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook is very clear: the gear should stay down until a landing cannot be made on the remaining runway. If your engine quits three seconds after liftoff and you still have 4,000 feet of pavement in front of you, you want those wheels down.

Wait for the "Two Positives":

1. A positive rate of climb on the VSI and Altimeter.

2. No more usable runway ahead of you.

Only then should you reach for the gear switch. In the PA-30, the gear retraction cycle is relatively quick, but the drag penalty while the doors are open is significant. Make sure you’re ready for it.

3. Poor Airspeed Discipline (Missing the Blue Line)

If you take away nothing else from your multi-engine training, remember this: Blue Line is Life. Vyse (Best Single-Engine Rate of Climb) is marked by the blue radial line on your airspeed indicator. On a checkride, DPEs watch this needle like a hawk during OEI (One Engine Inoperative) maneuvers.

The Fix: Pitch for Blue Line

The mistake many applicants make is trying to maintain altitude at the expense of airspeed. If you lose an engine and the airplane starts to sink, your instinct is to pull back. In a twin on one engine, pulling back without enough power will lead you straight into a Vmc roll.

Maintain Vyse at all costs. If you can’t climb at Vyse, you maintain level flight. If you can’t maintain level flight at Vyse, you descend. You never, ever sacrifice Vyse for altitude unless you are flared over a field. For more on the importance of single-engine performance, check out this AOPA safety breakdown on multi-engine flying.

4. Treating the Checklist as a "To-Do" List Instead of a "Done" List

One of the quickest ways to fail a checkride is to bury your head in a checklist while the airplane is drifting off course or losing altitude. Conversely, skipping the checklist entirely is a guaranteed "unsatisfactory" mark.

The Fix: Flow, then Verify

The ACS expects you to use your checklists effectively. In a high-performance aircraft like the Twin Comanche, you should use "flows" for time-sensitive situations (like an engine failure in flight) and then use the physical checklist to verify you didn't miss anything once the airplane is stabilized.

• Flow: Clean up the cockpit based on memory and muscle memory.

• Verify: Pull the checklist and run your eyes down the items to ensure the "Identify, Verify, Feather" and "Secure" steps are complete.

DPEs want to see that you are a manager of the cockpit, not a slave to a piece of paper. If you’re struggling with cockpit management, our Multi-Engine Training Series covers these flows in depth.

5. Rote Memorization of Aerodynamics (Vmc)

When a DPE asks, "What factors affect Vmc?" many students start rattling off the list like a robot: "Standard day, sea level, max takeoff power, critical engine windmilling..."

The mistake isn't the list; it's not understanding why those factors matter. If you can't explain why a rearward Center of Gravity (CG) increases Vmc, you haven't mastered multi-engine aerodynamics.

The Fix: Understand the "Why"

Vmc (Minimum Controllable Airspeed) is all about the battle between the rudder’s leverage and the failed engine’s yawing moment.

• Rearward CG: Shortens the "arm" or distance between the rudder and the CG, making the rudder less effective.

• Critical Engine: On the Twin Comanche, both engines turn clockwise (from the cockpit). The left engine is the critical engine because its failure results in the most significant yawing and rolling moments due to P-factor, accelerated slipstream, and spiraling slipstream.

Understand the physics. Flying Magazine often features deep dives into these aerodynamic principles that are great for supplemental reading. If you can explain the "why" to your examiner, you demonstrate a level of professionalism that builds immediate trust.

Practice Makes Professional

The Twin Comanche is an incredible platform for learning these lessons. It’s light enough to be nimble but complex enough to require real pilot skills. At Ace Pilot Academy, we focus on building these habits from hour one. We don't just want you to pass the checkride; we want you to be a safe multi-engine pilot for the rest of your life.

Before your big day, take a look at our Multi-Engine Flight Training page to see how we structure our curriculum to beat these common mistakes.

Final Thoughts for Checkride Day

1. Fly the airplane first. Don't let the emergency maneuvers distract you from basic aviating.

2. Narrate your actions. Tell the DPE what you are doing and why. It prevents them from wondering if you forgot a step.

3. Stay calm. If you make a small mistake, acknowledge it, correct it, and move on. One minor error isn't a failure: failing to correct it is.

You’ve got the skills. You’ve done the work. Now go show that examiner why you belong in the cockpit of a multi-engine aircraft.

Ready to schedule your multi-engine add-on or need a final prep session in the PA-30? Contact us today and let’s get you ready for the checkride!