I think this is a good example of what should be vs what is
What should be: Every pilot can very quickly react to a engine failure and then maintain a coordinated steep turn at a low airspeed
What is: Many pilots that attempt this maneuver lose control during the turn and the airplane departs controlled flight and crashes at an attitude that very significantly limits survivability
The challenge is that the low altitude turnback is IMO too dangerous to practice for real and even if you do practice you can't replicate the shock factor of an unexpected loss of power as the student will know the failure is coming. I have a lot of low level maneuvering experience as a result of 16 years in the fixed wing firebombing business. Ground rush is a very significant factor and IMO is why many turn backs end in a stall spin. The poor pilot sees a windshield full of dirt and unconsciously pulls back on the wheel.
The turn back to me, is like the V1 engine cut in transport category aircraft. Before good sims were available more airplanes were crashed in training then in actual V1 engine failures. It is now only done in the sim. Unfortunately there are at present no GA sims good enough to realistically practice the turn back.
