By Peter Tobin

We have to do it every time we land: Whether there’s at least one engine turning or not, we still have to use pitch and manage our kinetic energy—altitude—to arrive a few inches above the runway at what passes for a landing speed. When power is available and variable, most pilots seem more or less capable of pulling off such a maneuver. But when there is no power, or you really want to nail your patterns and landings by properly managing your energy, what are you going to do? You’ll take a cue from sailplane pilots, that’s what, and learn real-world energy management. …