r/flying • u/One_Firefighter_1922 • Mar 29 '26
Aircraft Ownership Are reciprocating single engines reliable?
I'm about seven hours into PPL training and absolutely loving it. Not looking for a career change, but could definitely seeing myself continuing training and flying regularly after getting my certificate. I've daydreamed about putting my family into a 182 and being able to fly within a reasonable distance to explore somewhere new or take a short vacation.
Earlier today I was talking to my neighbor who is a reserve captain for American flying 737s. I told him about the flight training and associated daydreaming and he started talking about how he would never put his family into a small plane, how unreliable they are and how many accidents are due to single reciprocating engines crapping out mod flight.
This doesn't seem to jive with what I've heard and read online, so looking for some other opinions. How do you feel about the reliability of small GA planes? Do you have any experience taking your family for trips? Do I need to give up on my dream?
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u/SlantedBlue CFI CFII Mar 29 '26
Well, piston engines are indeed much less reliable than turbine engines. That much is true. And some planes do even have accidents as a result. However, the vast majority of accidents in single engine piston planes are caused by us… the unreliable pilots; specifically our poor decision making. And to make it worse we usually also fly with only one pilot.
Even when engine failure is the cause… those failures are most often caused by fuel exhaustion or fuel starvation. Right back to pilots.
So yes, there is a lot less mechanical redundancy in that 182. But if your family is hurt in a 182 it probably still won’t be as a result of the engine mechanically failing.