mm flynn
Could not agree more. Part of the problem is IMO full use of the mixture control is rarely tought during ab initio training (or often even in advanced training)
The mixture control on most training aircraft spends 99% of its time set at either full rich or ICO. And frankly at early stages of training this is a "good enough practice" which allows the instructor to concentrate on teaching more fundamental flying skills/knowledge. However by the time a pilot has obtained his/her PPL it is time to develop a more sophisticated understanding of engine management which includes not only use of the mixture control but also
-engine warm up procedures
-proper runups
-managing CHT's (the No 1 requirement for long engine life IMO)
-selection of cruise power settings
-understanding what the engine guages are really telling you
-recording usefull engine behavior notes for maintainance trouble shooting
Unfortunately there is no "one perfect way" to operate an airplane piston engine, but there sure is a lot of opinions
All POH's provide some guidance but most are pretty useless when it comes to the finer points of engine operation. However there is a wealth of good info on the web starting with the engine makers sites. This forum and Avweb also have a lot of good info. Talking to engineers is also very valuable as most have had to deal with the results of poor pilot practices. A bit of research will give pilots lots to think about and allow folks to move from a "cookbook" approach to a real understanding of what is going on under the cowling.
