Quote:
Originally Posted by The Stalker
But I figured the cruise settings were about RPMs, not fuel mixture?
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In real life (and most good flight sims), it's a balancing act that includes mixture.
The pilot is always seeking to fly efficiently while conserving fuel and engine performance.
As altitude increases, mixture needs to be leaned out to provide the proper fuel/air mixture for combustion in the engine. Lean it out too much and the engine operates inefficiently and may be damaged. Make it too rich and not only do you burn excess fuel but you can foul the engine.
There are optimum cruise altitudes for aircraft where RPM's, manifold pressure, and mixture all come into the best balance. These altitudes will give the best fuel efficiency, speed, and engine wear. Pilots are often making trade offs....speed for fuel efficiency, etc..
Those are some reasons why pilots are never bored and some of us really enjoy civilian flight sims too
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Splitter