Simviation Forums

As of late i've been having problems with my single prop planes. the Cessnas and Mooneys. I dont feel like they are getting their full power, and when im idling they frequently "stall out". anyone know whats wrong?

Check your mixture control, the Red knob on both aircraft. It should be set to Full Rich, pushed all the way in.

For starting, and flying below 3000' asl, leave at Full Rich. As you reach 3000' and above you should begin leaning the mixture to get the best performance from the engine.

If starting at high altitude airports, you may have to lean slightly for smooth idle on startup.

The FS Learning Center, Controlling The Engine can explian further.

Dave

I agree completely with Dave.
  Check the airport you are flying at to be sure that it is not high eleveation, make sure you have Mixture at full rich (Ctrl + Shift +F4), both Magnetos On, Prop knob in, etc. As a rule of thumb, when taking off, all knobs should be fully in.
  For leaning, though, one common procedure (in real life) is to pull the mixture knob out until the engine starts to run "rough", then push the knob in about a quarter inch. As I have never been able to notice a pitch change (though FS9 recommends this procedure in their tutorials) in the sim, I use the other (also more accurate) way to lean. Most high-performance props (Cessna 182 and up) have an Exhaust Gas Temperature gauge. There is usually an optimal EGT for the engine in your aircraft (e.g., 350F for a 300 horse C180) which you can usually estimate, then lean to keep said temperature.
  Proper engine settings are a huge subject, and there are MANY tricks to learn if you read up on it, a good idea would be to read about it in Flight Simulator if you want to know more.