Big John wrote:

When training for engine out, do you actually turn off the mags?

After engine is stopped with prop feathered, Yes, it's in the check
list.

*blink* in a SE trainer? *blink*

Not in civilian life, anyhow. I think a CFI who simulated engine
failure by actually stopping the engine (with mixture, say) and
THEN shut off the mags, would get bar-b-qued for sure if something
went wrong.

I know a CFI who tried that on me (in my SE fixed-pitch-prop plane)
would be lucky to bring his intact hand back to the right side after
he tried to reach across me and shut off my mags, unless this was
a procedure he'd clearly discussed with me on the ground and I approved.
I know who is paying my insurance premiums, and it ain't my instructor!

I'd hate to think how you train your students for an engine or wing fire!

Only way in basic GA aircraft is to ask the student to give you, by
memory, the action items for fire. This should be repeated enough
times that it becomes second nature if he/she ever has a fire.

I could be mistaken, but I think what you're saying here is exactly
Judah's point.

We all work with a combination of actual demonstrations and physical
practice, vs verbal instruction/readback which we hope will (through
drill) become second nature.

To me, both are "training". Greg wants to call only the former
"training" and the latter "education" or some other word.

To me, something you drill in the plane is still training, whether
it involves actual physical practice, or some degree of simulation
(be it slapping instrument covers over the gyros rather than actually
disabling the vacuum, or saying "your engine is on fire, what do you
do?" and expecting the student to go through a checklist while touching
the relevant items.

YMMV

Of course, the more realistic and physical the training, the better,
but we all have to strike a balance between what's realistic and what's
reasonably safe (and legal). I'd love to put a little valvie in my
plane so that our CFI could fail our vacuum gyros realistically for
partial panel practice, and that might be a 'safer' way to train
overall, but the FAA says I'd have to jump through a head-high set
of hoops to do it

There's plenty of flight training that goes on without actual
demonstration. You can call it whatever you want...

I guess what you are saying is that a student can read a book about
how to fly and then go fly???

No, I don't think that's what he's saying, see above.