A very simple basic one I should really know, but never have really messed with it...The only "aid" I have on in Flight , is the mixture - I have it set to auto.I do have mixture mapped already to a rotary on my throttle, as I figured I would change to manual before too long. The rotary has a center detent.Now, if I set the mixture for manual where I control it - well, how will that really translate to my rotary? I obviously know turning all the way in one direction will be full rich and the other full lean. So would the middle setting , be about the correct starting point for mixture and then just play with it from there listening to the engine? Will it be easy to tell which direction richens versus which direction leans? Is the mixture normally adjusted several times during the course of a flight, or just a little much like the prop rpm?I have my prop rpm mapped to my other rotary on the throttle, and it is easy enough to tell what it is doing. I normally fly with it on the full rpm setting and usually just lower it for my descents, then back to full on final approach for landing.Thanks for any tips,

Uh oh, someone isn't using their checklists...You should be running full rich, knob all the way forward, anytime you are near full power below a certain altitude as noted on the checklists.as you climb you will gradually lean, as the checklist says, above some altitude. You need to dial back the mixture until the engine runs rough (or goes a little quiet), and add a little back in so that the engine runs smoothly. This will maximize the power output of the engine. At altitude this makes a big difference in engine performance and fuel economy.Anytime you descend don't forget to increase the mixture.That's about all you have to worry about in flight. there is a little more to it in RL, but this will get you all the benefits in game.

Uh oh, someone isn't using their checklists...

Oh man you got me there. :smile:Many thanks for the great info Dave, it will very helpful!I will go ahead and disable that auto mixture aid.Thanks,

Dave is right, however I find it impossible to lean the mixture in MS Flight. There is no EGT gauge or something like that and the sound doesn't change at all until you are way too lean of peak (somewhere below 20%). Hopefully this will be fixed...

Use the RPM's to monitor mixture in lieu of the EGT. For effect, climb to 7000 feet at full mixture and RPM's at 2200 in the maule pull the mixture knob back slowly and watch the RPM's. They should increase then suddenly begin to drop. Pushing forward again on the mixture control (rich) to reach maximum and then slightly below that maximum is where I usually set it. As you climb you repeat as needed until you reach cruise altitude.Ian.

slashed2: Constant speed prop???Hook

Sounds like a great way to find the peak, many thanks Ian.

slashed2: Constant speed prop???

For simplicities sake, you can still pull the mixture back, until rough, and then enrichen a bit. Basically, about three turns to enrichen of my Cessna style venier knob would dothe job for my Lycoming and constant speed prop. In reality , I also use the EGT because I became use to where the best temps were. I do find that within sims, that the mixture knob will usually kill the engine before it will in real life, while leaning. I haven't tried with Flight, though.

For simplicities sake, you can still pull the mixture back, until rough, and then enrichen a bit.

Thank you Sir. This is exactly how I do it, how I've seen it recommended many places. I have no idea why, every time the mixture question comes up, some people will immediately say "max the RPM" when these planes all have constant speed props. Then the discussion goes round and round with confused players trying to figure out how you max the RPM, someone finally bringing up the constant speed prop issue, and the posters who said to max the RPM finally saying, "Oh. Oh, yeah. That's right."Hook

And, BTW Adam, please take the time to test the "bug" with the Manifold Pressure not being affected by RPM changes on the Maule, RV6 and Stearman.Setting your cruise power, at given MP and RPM, retard the RPMs and your MP will stay still instead of increasing as it should... On the way back, push the RPM and see no change again in MP, when it should decrease :-(The MP does vary with altitude (good to see for these aircraft types....)I also thought the Stearman was a variable pitch, but non CS Prop, but I may be wrong....

For simplicities sake, you can still pull the mixture back, until rough, and then enrichen a bit. Basically, about three turns to enrichen of my Cessna style venier knob would dothe job for my Lycoming and constant speed prop. In reality , I also use the EGT because I became use to where the best temps were. I do find that within sims, that the mixture knob will usually kill the engine before it will in real life, while leaning. I haven't tried with Flight, though.

Hey guys,Just finished my first flight with manual mixture - a job carrying 3 passengers app 56nm in the Maule, also used the checklist this time during the flight, worked great and found it very rewarding.Thanks again for all the help.

I also thought the Stearman was a variable pitch, but non CS Prop, but I may be wrong....

It's implemented as constant speed. Having a simple variable pitch prop would be an interesting control exercise.Hook

I also thought the Stearman was a variable pitch, but non CS Prop, but I may be wrong....

The type certificate provides for a number of types of props... H.S. constant speed being one type.

And, BTW Adam, please take the time to test the "bug" with the Manifold Pressure not being affected by RPM changes on the Maule, RV6 and Stearman.Setting your cruise power, at given MP and RPM, retard the RPMs and your MP will stay still instead of increasing as it should... On the way back, push the RPM and see no change again in MP, when it should decrease :-(The MP does vary with altitude (good to see for these aircraft types....)I also thought the Stearman was a variable pitch, but non CS Prop, but I may be wrong....

Some more reality.My RV6A's 180HP Lycoming, combined with a Hartzell constant speed prop.............has a prop restriction of 2000-2250 rpms. You don't want to keep it at those settings for very long. It's a harmonics thing. I never liked running it below 2000, and would usually run between 2250 & 2350 for cruise. Just a bit above 2250 most of the time.I've just looked through a bunch of in flight panel pics. I'm usually somewhere between 7500 & 10,500' msl because it's mountain country. To be honest, I've never paid that much attention to exactly what MP is doing, as I pull the prop rpms back. Thats because I don't need to. I'm never lugging the engine, because I never pull the rpms back that far. My MP is usually between 19 & 22...........but is mostly varied with the throttle. Some pilots keep throttle at full, and pull rpms back. I prefer to set that 2250+ and use throttle for airspeed & fuel consumption. Both methods work.....I'm told.As to leaning,...... there is the rich of peak (ROP), and lean of peak methods. My airplane only has an EGT on cylinder #3 (because it's usually the hottest). For the best at LOP (lean of peak) operations, you really need EGT on every cylinder and fuel injection instead of a carb. And then each fuel injector should be balanced for best results. LOP means using less fuel, but never gives as much power. EGT can also vary, depending on where the probe is exactly placed on the exhaust pipe. Different pilots also have different thoughts about 50 to 125 degrees rich of peak. I'm ROP, but since I actively lean, and only have one EGT, there is a chance that I could be slightly LOP at certain times. And a sim will probably never get all the setttings right anyway, and if they did, we'd argue as to what settings are the best.

Just finished another fairly short flight in the RV6, a hamburger run job, using the checklists as appropriate.Man this is a whole new immersion level for me - I really like doing it this way and feel like I am learning something.Now all I need to do is go study up on the VOR tutorial and get competent with that.