Mixture rich for taxi?

[Capt W E Johns]

Some good stuff coming out in this thread at last. The chap who mentioned the Pelican's Perch articles had it spot on, that is the definitive reference as far as I'm concerned.

I've flown in formations where I held position with judicious mixture adjustments while leaving the throttle and RPM alone. Those flights made it glaringly apparent to me that the amout of power the engine produces is heavily dependant on the amount of petrol you pour in - and more gas doesn't always = more power.

Also, there is more to setting power than throttle and mixture. If you fly a type equipped with a CSU, RPM is an integral part of engine management, and again, more RPMs isn't always equivalent to more knots.

My rule of thumb was to minimize RPM, maximize MAP, and set mixture to just above rough running/just below CHT limit. I also leaned on the ground, but only aggressively (ref Chimbu's comment), and generally only on long taxi's.

And I managed to learn that at less than 29" and without a "big arsed radial", so it would appear one can learn something in light aircraft if one pays attention.