to what extent can the mixture be to high on a small aircraft such as a 172? (what altitude do you have to exceed? (about)) What happens if your mixture is too rich? [and can you recover from it if something does happen?]
thanks
2007-02-26 13:30:32 · 6 answers · asked by bravestdawg101 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Most small aircraft engines should be leaned at any alititude above 3000 ft indicated.
A too rich mixture will waste fuel, reduce power output, foul the spark plugs & the combustion chambers, as well as cool the engine below optimum operating temperatures. Without leaning the mixture the aircrafts effective range will also be reduced.
There will be engine roughness, & if left uncorrected the engine mounts can be damaged.
The best remedy for a too rich mixture is to lean your mixture at cruise always.
Since the "something" as you described that will happen is likely to be an engine failure then the best recovery would be to carry out a forced landing.
2007-02-26 14:24:02 · answer #1 · answered by No More 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The second answer is best so far, the others all have defects. The mixture should be optimised for the phase of flight and altitude. Its not just related to the cost of fuel. Its certainly not an issue up to 3000, but it is as you get closer to 10,000. The best tool is the EGT and aircraft manual. Flying is more complex that driving, lets not dumb it down too much.
The real easy option is to drive something with a jet or turboprop. But they pay those guys more! Go figure.
2007-02-26 23:04:26 · answer #2 · answered by Ranjeeh D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will also find that after you top about 10,000 feet, the engine (normally aspirated) will be running so rough you'll want to lean or drop altitude. The manufacturer supplies an operation handbook with each aircraft. It is normally best to follow those guidelines.
2007-02-26 16:02:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
mixture can be to rich to the extent that it fouls your plugs
above 3000 PRESSURE altitude is a general rule of thumb,
recover from? a mixture being to rich? yes you can recover?
2007-02-27 05:11:00 · answer #4 · answered by fighterace26 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's too rich, it wastes oil (or gas I forgot since I haven;t been flying) and it gets your engine dirty. I'm not sure if you can fix the problem or not but I'm thinking you can if it's minor damage to your engine. To find the best mixture, i suggest putting your parking brakes on, put full throttle and play the the mixture lever until the RPM gets to its highest point. Once you find the "sweet spot", keep it because that's the best mixture of air and oil (or gas lol)
2007-02-26 14:14:28 · answer #5 · answered by Atsuke 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Too rich just means that it uses more gas than it has to but when renting I use full rich 100% of the time as you rent with the gas in it and the plane performs better on full rich... it can dirty the engine, but nothing that will cause major problems in flight.
2007-02-26 14:25:15 · answer #6 · answered by ALOPILOT 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋