Return flight after the mission – a seemingly quiet night

It’s nighttime, and you’re flying your two-ship formation back to your home base after a successful mission; the base is already visible about 71 km away. The moon is shining and the sky is clear—an idyllic return to base…

Suddenly, an engine catches fire—but which one? 

But suddenly there’s a loud bang: Your F-4F Phantom is being shaken violently, and the data from both engines is going haywire, far outside the tolerance ranges. You immediately realize that this is a serious mechanical failure. Your wingman (Number 2 Alpha, the pilot) confirms:

“Lead, you’re on fire! Your right engine is on fire.”

But the backseater sitting behind him (Number 2 Bravo, the weapons systems officer) interrupts: “Lead, your left engine is on fire!”

Stay calm and make clear decisions

Your training—and the adrenaline—tell you that you need to shut down the burning engine as quickly as possible. But which engine is on fire? The left one? The right one? Or are both of them on fire?

You have to make some critical decisions very quickly right now, and to do that—this is the top priority—you need to stay calm:
“Number 2 Bravo: Zip it!”

You send a Mayday call to Bremen Radar and then focus entirely on finding a solid basis for a decision. You ask the front seat passenger of your wingman, who has the best view:

“Number 2 Alpha, confirm: is the right engine on fire?”

Your wingman flies as close as possible and confirms that the right engine is on fire:
“Lead, confirmed: right engine on fire!”

But despite the time-sensitive and dangerous situation, you don’t take any risks. You know from too many accident reports how often mixing up left and right has led to the most serious aviation accidents. Because if you shut down the wrong engine, you’ll crash. That’s why you rephrase it:

“Copy, Number 2. I’m now pulling back on the right thrust lever, the one closest to my seat, to shut down the right engine.”

“Confirm, Lead, pull back on the right thrust lever closest to your seat to shut down the right engine.”

A short while later, the left engine has stabilized; you work through your checklist for a single-engine landing and shortly thereafter land safely in Wittmund—an almost idyllic return to base.

The Scenario as Leadership Training

In your company, your clinic, or your government agency, you must also make it absolutely clear what the priorities are. You, too, know that acting out of panic can do more harm than good. And you, too, need the ability to act with foresight and deliberation, even under pressure. You, too, are a leader!

Our Seminar: Leadership – Flexibility and Foresight, Just Like in the Cockpit

Discover in our leadership seminar “Leadership – Flexibility and Foresight, Just Like in the Cockpit” . Here, you’ll delve deeply into various leadership approaches and develop a solid understanding of modern leadership. 

From our experienced pilots, who are also seasoned human resources experts, you’ll learn firsthand how leadership is put into practice in aviation and what benefits this can bring you. This will help you critically reflect on and further develop your own leadership style.

Realistic leadership training in the Eurofighter simulator

And as a pilot in our state-of-the-art Eurofighter cockpit, you can immediately put your leadership style to the test in realistic scenarios.

How do you handle the dangerous situation if one of your engines catches fire?
How do you get your team on board?
Will you land safely together?

Join us to find out how you react when someone says:

“Lead, you’re on fire!”