Originally Posted by
Uplinker
Being clever after the event here, but.......
A red knob for mixture ?? All our lives we have seen red on water taps and car heater controls; meaning heat or hot.
So a student, new to this type, with a hundred other things on their mind is reminded to apply heat, while also flying and controlling the aircraft in the descent.
Their conscious processing capacity is completely used up, with no spare capacity, so they use their deep memory and reach for the red control which in their deep memory means heat. Even though they were briefed about the mixture control.
And Robinson have apparently known about this problem for years. So why therefore haven't they - and other piston engined aircraft manufacturers - changed the colour of the mixture knob ?
The fact that Robinson R22 AND 44 have had a plastic tube attached with a chain to the console, to put over the mixture once in, the knob being RED and of a different shape than the CARB heat isn't enough? It also requires a dual action, so a push on a central knob and a pull on the lever to activate. Even advanced military aircraft with highly advanced systems have had buttons and levers pushed because of rush.
To change the lever yet again will solve nothing.