Once you have your own airplane, and start paying for fuel directly, you quickly learn where the mixture control is.... You also learn where to find the cheapest fuel and make that your destination. 14/14

I was taught it this way by my instructor. Leaning it slowly until you hear the engine power slightly decrease and then push it back 1cm. The first time I did it I sure was mentally preparing for the engine to quit! An important thing also is to have this item as a part of your pre-descent checklist so you don’t forget to push it back to Rich before landing. Thank you for your videos!

14 of 14 here. The color is draining from Mike Busch’s face now, given his advocacy of LOP operations 😅. These are excellent videos Jason. I am learning so much from them. Looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.

14 of 14. Not enough hours in, haven't touched that knob yet, at least while in the air. That is the plane go to sleep lever....hahaha

That would be a must here in the Rocky Mountains, lowest airport around is probably 4800’, and in the summer it would be even more necessary.

14 for 14. Can’t wait for In Flight Coffee today!

Great info! Did my Private Pilot training in Prescott, AZ and from day 1 we HAD to lean for takeoff. That airports at 5,200 ft. We started the C172 with Mixture about 1 inch out from full.

14/14. I became much more confident with leaning when I purchased a plane with a fuel flow indicator. It helped to have numbers to shoot for, then fine tune it. Kissing five gallons per hour?! I'm lucky to get my Grumman Tiger slightly below ten.

I use a JPI EDM-730 and for best power in my Piper Dakota it is about 50 degrees ROP. Best economy is 20-50 degrees LOP. I agree... if you do not have the instrumentation, I avoid LOP operations. "Poor man's" ROP I do what you do.... Lean it out until the engine RPM drops slightly or goes slightly rough, then will enrichen the mixture a bit past the point it smooths back out and yields greatest RPM - staying on ROP side. Great video.

It's also a good idea to lean while taxing to prevent plug fouling...

I don't do it very often as I wasn't sure when I was supposed to lean the mixture. This video was really helpful. This week where I live we have had highs of +30°c (86°f) thankfully near sea level as I had never thought about leaning for takeoff.

14/14 enjoying my daily pilot challenge with my cheerios & mixed fruit. Thank you.

14✋14!!! Leaning for takeoff (and taxi) has been taught to me since day one of private pilot. To be fair the pattern altitude out here is the altitude you were cruising at.

14 for 14 in 2023! Thanks for the great demonstration of “rich of peak” and teaching us why and when it’s important.

14 for 14! Terrified of the red knob. ABSOLUTELY! I'm past that now, but initially I was like, "Heck, no! I'm not touching that until it's time to shut down!"

14 for 14 Great content and right amount of time on each. Thanks

14/14. Awesome episode! Being a student pilot, every time I lean out the mixture there is still a little pucker factor that accompanies it, but with each time it becomes a little more natural.

14/14 - Recently updated JPI 700 to 730 and with this new instrument- dialing in ROP every cruise flight! Good video, good information! Thanks!

14 of 14 Hanging in there! Thanks again.

14/14 - I haven’t been above 3,000 MSL for so long I’ve somewhat forgotten this technique/ thanks for the reminder!

14-14. This is something I’m nervous to do, however I’m still a student pilot. This challenge has great information.

14/14! And In flight coffee today! ☕️

14 for 14. I learned to lean the engine old-school, lean until the engine stumbles then rich until it runs smoothly. As learned on a cross-country training flight, "climb to 5500 and I'll show you how to lean the engine". The plane I fly now has an engine monitor so I can lean by EGT and dial it in precisely. Its O-320 objects to lean-of-peak operation, so I don't: lean in cruise, full rich for takeoff and climb up to 7000, lean for peak power above that.

14/14 such a great journey of learning

14414r2! Just saw coffee talk . Thanks for the reminder to watch.

14/14 Nice editing on the gauges! Thank you for the instruction!

As a student, learning to lean has been valuable. Just makes sense to take care of the equipment that I’m using. 14 for 14.

14!! Yes terrified to touch it. Thanks for this.

14 for 14. Thanks for the lesson.

14 for 14. Low hours student. Haven’t had much practice with it yet so this helps. POH isn’t helpful. CFIs, all six so far, have reached over and adjusted rather than getting me to do it. Having to be more assertive in my instruction questions now having soloed to get more detailed ops instructions. Don’t think I should have to, but there you go. Thanks much for this.

The way I learned it for cruise was to lean it out until you get a decrease in RPM, enrichen it to find peak again, and then enrichen it one turn past peak.

I agree that leaning is important for the health of the engine, but have to disagree that rich of peak is best. Plenty of opposing viewpoints as to the benefits of flying lean of peak. The type of engine and the engine monitoring capabilities play into the decision. Both rich and lean of peak are safe and effective under the right circumstances. The knowledge of the pilot about when and how to use them is the key.

14 for 14 from Hungary🇭🇺 I’ve never ever used the red lever for anything other than stopping the engine - mainly because I haven’t even flown an airplane which has the necessary gauges to be able to effectively lean for performance, also our small country doesn’t really necessitate the usage of the option as we don’t have high mountains or long distances, not to mention the SOP of the ATO I’m renting aircraft from has specifically stated in their SOP not to lean in any circumstances.

I love you’re lessons

14/14, looking good, ..stay in the Books...Thanks

Important as all your presentations! I lean over 3000 ft.

14 for 14! Not long after I got my PPL, I took my brother-in-law on a lunch flight. We cruised up to the lunch at a relatively low altitude so he could enjoy the sights, but on the way back I was at 6500 ft. I was explaining to him how I lean the mixture at higher altitudes. Unfortunately, this plane didn't have the "twist" feature on the mixture knob, so I was pulling the handle slowly. As I was pulling the knob, the handle had a slight "catch" and didn't move, so I exerted a little more effort on the handle, then it "gave" and the handle popped out about an inch or so. The engine immediately coughed, and I shoved the mixture back in. Of course, power came back immediately. It didn't scare me, and I kind of chuckled it off. But the incident spooked my brother-in-law so much that he didn't speak for the rest of the flight.

14 for 14. My best ever. In a high-humidity environment with temps that lead to high density altitude, our A&P trained us to lean before a long taxi to prevent fouling the plugs. I’m guessing you’ll get to clearing fouled plugs sometime over the next 17 episodes.

👍 14 for 14. Came to my flight training with A&P training many years back, also a professional performance engine builder and tuner. Manual control over fuel mixture is quite antiquated in todays electronic world but also welcome, having full control over that critical aspect of the engines performance.

14/14 Love all the videos. Amazing information! Can't wait to start my journey. Thanks Jason!

Hi From Moldova And from Santa Rosa. FL

14/14. Running LOP after reading Mike Bush's books - I'll circle back at the next overhaul to see if it's a good idea or not :)

14/14 today Great job Jason!

14 for 14 loving the information

14/14 although not having to do this much at the moment as mostly training currently in a Pipistrel Alpha Electro. but great overview and reminders, I'll likely be doing some of my training in a Harmony so this will be helpful, thanks!

Great tutorial on something that is usually glossed over by both instructors and checklists. Thanks KAPF

Love the video

14/14. My instructor taught me exactly how you teach it. Thanks Jason!

My instructor would love this....

Great video!

Hey Jason, 14 for 14 yes in my early days I was scared of the red knob just like you and now having EDM 830 I love it. Thanks for the videos. They are all so informative. I have a blast watching them every day and learning so much.

14 for 14, thank you for this video! I was taught to lean during flight training, and do it regularly. Nice to re-visit this topic!

14 0ut of 14, loving this.

14/14. Great video!

14 for 14 That was good info thank you

14/14. Great stuff as always, Sir.

You the best

14 for 14! Great video. Thanks.

Am 14/14! Love the sessions

14/14. Good info. This was helpful.

I'm 14/14. Thank you for the clear explanation Jason.

4-teen! Yippee. Great series. Keep ‘‘em coming. You’re doing the plane a disservice if you don’t learn how to lean. In certain circumstances, it can be dangerous not to - I.e. the takeoff from Sedona if you don’t have a proper mixture.

14/14 great stuff🎉

Sorry to say I'm 1/14 but now going back to watch all the episodes Jason. You make this soo interesting and I still need to finish getting my Part 107 for UAV. Love my DJI Air 2S and Mini 3 Pro and would really like to be ableto legally post some videos on KZfaq once I get the Part 107 completed. Thank you for all you do Jason!

14/14 ! Yes, I too was afraid of the "red" knob because it's red and some of us first interpret the red color meaning warning: be very careful! Thankfully, my instructor explained how to use the lean mixture on my aircraft referencing from the POH and just like how you explained the fuel to air ratio for best performance in this video. When you understand something more, the less you become uncertain and fearful of the worst and the more confidence you gain on how you can control the result or outcome you want.

14 of 14. Just studied this in ground school. Really good demonstration. Thanks!

14/14. I was a scaredy cat but not anymore! Thanks Jason and team!

14 for 14, Jason. Thank you for explaining such an important topic. I aggressively lean on the ground during taxi and incorporate the mixture back to rich as part of “lights, camera, action” just prior to crossing the hold short line.

14/14 32 hours into my PPL your videos are a huge help!

14/14. Good info.

14 out of 14 :) I am always conscience when leaning the engine.

14414.. thanks Jason 💯

Very helpful and informative. I’m at the point in my training where I have no clue how to use the red knob. My only complaint if your description of 59 degrees as really cold. I’m in Chicago and at that altitude today it’s probably about 20. :-)

Caught up with all 14/14 and looking forward for more. This topic truly helps a lot. I was also the one who freaks out to touch the red knob. But after watching this video, I’m will be trying leaning the mixture in flight based on the proper density altitude. Thank you Jason for Really saving a life 🙏

14 for 14! I did my PPL training in a light sport aircraft, so I never had to deal with mixture (or VORs) until after getting my PPL and doing a checkout in a C172. I was afraid of it at first, but played around with it. Your video was very informative, filling in a few gaps here and there.

14 of 14, I've pretty much memorized what egt I want for the planes if fly, so leaning becomes pretty easy.

14/14. I am a little nervous when it comes to leaning the mixture! This video helps me to better understand the process.

14 for 14. When flying the club 172 I would lean if at a higher altitude. I was never afraid of using it. However today I fly behind a Rotax 912ULS in my RV-12 which has auto mixture and no mixture lever.

GAMI Has some great videos on running LOP. Worth checking out .

14-14 still on track! Jody Spann

14/14. My hand is up! I lean on taxi and a few times I didn't go full rich before applying full power and nearly choked out the engine. (I don't forget now lol]

I always love your videos. I wish you would share how you created the zoom in effect on your panel :)

14 of 14!

14/14 - I fly out of U42 so leaning for takeoff is in our SOPs. In the summer, the density altitude can be in the 7,000 range and you get nearly 100 rpm when you lean during runup.

I wondered how that worked. Thanks. I can never get that to work in Flight Simulator, and I always shut down the engine!

14 for 14. As an owner, leaning is critical with the amount of lead in 100LL. Maybe better alternatives are on the horizon!

I was a little scared of it at first after passing the PPL, because I learned on a Tecnam P2002 which has no mixture knob, It's controlled be the ecu. Then our Aero club got fuel injected 172's and I had to learn how to properly lean it, because they were wet leased aircraft and we would get charge extra for excess fuel burn. Then I got the hang of it, learn to lean properly people, you can fly higher and further because of better performance and fuel economy and it extends the life of engine components.

14/14 I’ve learned to lean once above 3000’ having the JPI engine monitor really helps

14/14. In training we rarely exceed 3000 feet. I've used the mixture knob in the simulator though, just to get the hang of it.

14 out of 14!

14 for 14 Thank you

14 for 14. I fly in west Texas with 3 or 4 thousand feet elevation and I always lean for takeoff!

The POH is your best friend here.

ME !!! mixture knob and 14 for 14

14:14. My EGT gauge is way to the right on my panel. Makes it a bit difficult to use well. Hope to get an electronic engine monitoring system soon.

Hi Jason, great video! Two questions: -why would you lean for cruise flight only above some altitude? would leaning not save fuel even at say 2000 feet? I am asking because where I live, we rarely get above 3000 feet … -my second question is when exactly you would pull the red handle when taxiing, and when you push it back in.

14 of 14.

14/14 👍

😂🤣😂🤣 I touch it twice! Once when starting and once when shutting down!

14 for 14!!