Super noob question about propeller controls

I have mainly been flying jets since discovering this game but have decided to check out general aviation and have been flying the cessna 152 and 172. I decided to purchase the cessna 414 by flysimware and noticed it has propeller levers as well as throttle and fuel mix.

What is the actual purpose of this lever and how should i be using it in game ? the plane seems to take off, cruise and land just fine with it whacked all the way up like it is by default.

Should i be looking to lower it until RPM etc is all in the green zone of the dials ? Explain like im 8 years old if possible :stuck_out_tongue:

Sorry for sounding like a horrendous noob but that’s pretty much what I am.

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You need to work with mixture to fight with “aircraft’s hypoxia” - lean your mixture to provide your engine with a proper for your altitude oxygen/fuel proportion when you are above 3000 ft standard atmosphere (depends on your plane - for some of them you start leaning at 5000 ft). Reduce slowly your mixture until your engine starts coughing and as soon it starts coughing adjust a bit to stop this coughing. This helps you to save fuel - look at a fuel consumption gauge. You may not be able to start your engine above 3000 ft if you are on max mixture. We also use max mixture to cool down our engines on the ground - our cold fuel does this for us.

Props… think them as a kind of a gearbox in your car. Read the POH of your aircraft how and when to use them. You need your prop levers fully UP (“light props”) (minimal angel of attack) during take-off usually.

I think of it like a bicycle; when you first take off you use a low gear (lever full forward) to get moving but as you get to cruise speed you gear up so that you get more power to each revolution.

MP is like the force you put on the pedals and RPM is the amount of revolutions per minute…

at least that’s the way I understand it…

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In case you wanna dive in a little bit:

Propellers: FS2020 - The Propeller Control - YouTube

Mixture: FS2020 - The Mixture Control - YouTube

Enjoy👍

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This is a good read also.

Right here on our own forum:

You can nerd out with me here, which lead to the aforementioned Advanced Guide:

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Keep in mind that the 414 is turbocharged. Unlike normally aspirated engines, you don’t lean the mixture on climb to maintain correct power. You leave the mixture firewalled until you hit cruise altitude. Then you lean it out for max fuel efficiency in flight.

If you leave the mixture at full with a normally aspirated engine (like the 172 for example), you’ll start losing power in your climb above 3000 ft since the atmosphere gets thinner with less oxygen available for combustion. You then have a fuel rich mixture that isn’t able to burn efficiently. On a turbocharged engine, the turbochargers force max air into your engine, so this isn’t an issue. You’ll always get maximum fuel burn in climb.

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To add to the theory aspects above. You would normally take-off at full power (throttle and prop levers both fully forward), there may be a small power reduction after take-off (climb power), then in the cruise you set the power for cruise. If you need to climb again you would set climb power. When you descend you’d normally leave the prop in the cruise position and adjust throttle for your descent rate. On final approach you put the prop to max rpm again in case you need to do a go-around.

You get the power settings from the Pilot Operating Handbook, there may be several different cruise settings depending on how efficient you want to be.

Whatever the power settings are, you set the manifold pressure with the throttle and the RPM with the prop control, don’t try to set RPMs with the throttle except for when on the ground.

Here’s a C414 POH. The information you need is in section 4 and maybe 5.

You’re adjusting the angle of attack of the propeller blades, so you can imagine it almost like a flaps setting for your propeller.

At slow speeds you need the highest angle (or RPM value) to have the best lift (acceleration).

During cruise the speeds are higher and these high angles are generating more lift and drag than you need, so you remove the flaps (reduce RPM) to make the engine work at it’s highest efficiency.

So for takeoff and landing keep the lever all the way up while during cruise you can reduce it to go faster.

If you want an even more simple explanation it works exactly like a car’s shifter, high rpm at low speed for torque, low rpm at high speeds for power and efficiency.

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You can lean an engine at any altitude. Nothing says only above 3,000.

I’ve been curious about prop pitch as well. Some of the descriptions above were very good but were presented like science projects (not that that’s a bad thing). Does anyone know a good source that explains the use of the lever from a more procedural POV, i.e. when to set what? Perhaps my search terms are inadequate.

Thanks to everyone.

The POH of the plane you intend to fly will have the answers you need. There isn’t a single answer as it will vary, other than fully forward for takeoffs, and landings, and fully aft (feathered), if your engine just died.

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Every airplane has its own procedures, but it’s generally a variation of:

  • Mixture full, prop lever full forward, power lever to ITT/EGT/Torque/MP maximum (or just full forward)
  • Takeoff
  • Set climb power when airborne and clear of obstacles (lower throttle, then prop RPM)
  • Adjust climb power as needed throughout the climb
  • Level off
  • Set cruise power (lower throttle, then RPM)
  • Descend (lower throttle, usually don’t need to lower RPM)
  • Final approach (mixture full rich, prop full forward, throttle as needed to maintain rate of descent and airspeed)

In the Piper Seminole, it’s everything full forward for take-off, 25”MAPx2500RPM for climb, 23”MAPx2300RPM cruise, reduce by 5”MAP for a 500fpm descent from cruise.

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Simplified I would say that propeller pitch lets you change the distance the propeller will move forward with each revolution.


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Yes, you can. However, 3000 is a common noob recommendation in simulators:) You can lean for Best power, and Best Economy e.t.c. but this is not for “8 year old”:slight_smile: There are a lot videos on YouTube as well, like this one,
> for example
[>

There is one more “](https://youtu.be/eBUfWI4C6sE)Leaning the Mixture for a High Density Altitude Takeoff”

Awesome to go deeper into aviation territory and fly GA’s.

I’ve been flight simming for some 24 years now and propeller controls are about the most complex issue to set tour teeth into for sure. I usually end up with more questions after a youtube lecture on the topic.

However, for an 8 year old I’d give this workflow.

On takeoff, you use close to maximum power. Don’t overload the engine though, you have your mixture and prop fully forward, apply brakes on the start of the runway, slowwwwly spool up the throttle to about 50%, release brakes, and slowly add the next 50% during the takeoff roll. Overloading the engine means that your throttle should wait for the engine to catch up in terms of RPM, it’s something you hear and feel mostly, don’t overthink it.

Maintain maximum power upto 1500 feet above ground level. You then stabilize. Allow your speed to run up a bit, work your flaps up, trim the aircraft for climb and then adjust power settings. You always work from the left to the right at the power controls: slowly reduce throttle for the engine, slowly adjust propeller, then increase throttle again at the new propeller setting. As you continue the climb, slowly lean out mixture to keep the engines leaned as others explained. And indeed: not with the 414 as it’s turbocharged.

During final approach, reduce throttle again, adjust propeller settings to maximum, increase throttle again as you make sure you have maximum power available for go around.

Happy flying.

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This is a great thread. Really interesting. ‘Super noob’ questions are always great because at the end of the day we’re all continuously learning something new.

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Thanks for that. This 8+ year-old learned a lot here.

Turns out, I wasn’t doing too badly just listening to the engine. I didn’t know the part about adjusting power and THEN the prop. I mostly fly the CubCrafters NXCub.

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More power= first rpm increase then throttle increase
Less power= first throttle decrease then rpm decrease

Manifold pressure should not surpas rpm. (24ing=at least 2400rpm) exept takeoff until 400ft

As everyone said poh gives you the numbers. 25/2500 good climb power setting, 22/2300 for cruise. Those are rough numbers which should work on most Piston aircraft.

The MP shouldn’t exceed RPM thing is a bit of a myth. Turbocharged engines routinely run high MP vs RPM. From memory I think the T6 Harvard / Texan would cruise at 26 MP and 1600 RPM. We used to run our non turbo-charged Islander’s slightly “over square” at something like 23” and 2200 rpm. It’s not a bad rule of thumb if you don’t have any other guidance, but the flight manual takes precedence.