As always, the Cessna operations and flight manual, and the advice of a certified flight instructor, should be your primary source of information regarding the safe operation of your aircraft.
Contents:
Takeoff
Climb
Cruise
Ambient effect
Lean of Peak
Turbocharger
This page of the operations section, like all the pages, will focus on the difference between a Cardinal and the most common training aircraft, the 172 and 150.
Takeoff power
Power management in a Cardinal is not difficult but there are a few considerations for the typical Skyhawk-trained pilot. Most of these details have to do with the larger, counterweighted engine and the controllable propeller.Power application for takeoff should be smooth and gentle, with steady throttle movements. Although it is probably an old wives tale, it's said that the larger the bore of the engine the more gentle the change of power/RPM should be. It is likely that engines that are slammed to full power still make it to TBO, but it makes sense that those crankshaft counterweights, governer gears etc. are getting extra stress from such behavior. Best to bring it up slow.
Propeller experts suggest that we avoid using full power while standing still. Evidently this puts extra stress on the propeller, so they advise that full power come in as you're rolling, runway length permitting.
As with all aircraft, altitude determines the mixture to use for takeoff. At lower altitudes full rich is fine, but at higher altitudes use the fuel flow table on the center console to determine best power fuel flow.
With power on and mixture set, check to be sure you're getting full power. How can you tell?
- Simple propeller RPM is not enough, since only the governer
controls engine RPM. Anywhere over around 75% power is enough to take the prop to full RPM.
- Manifold pressure will tell you that the
throttle is open, but not that you're developing power. In fact as engines stop running the manifold pressure returns to ambient, and that is a higher reading than when the engine is running. The MP only tells you there are no obstructions to air getting into the engine.
- The RG's Fuel Flow indicator (actually a fuel pressure gauge calibrated in GPH) will tell you that the fuel system is delivering fuel,
but not that you are making power. In fact if an injector is plugged, the pressure (and indicated flow) will actually rise. If too much fuel is being
introduced, say by a leak or defective injector, the fuel flow gauge
will read lower.
- EGTs will tell you which cylinders are generating hot
exhaust, but not that they are making horsepower. You may see a
difference between cylinders if only one cylinder is weak.
- Direct reading fuel flow devices tell you that fuel is really
running through the system, either through the engine or out a leak.
- The new % power indicators are a mathamatical computation of % horsepower, driven by the same indicators above, any of them subject
to lying in case of failure.
- The new GAMI Opti-spark system is the one system that may provide
an actual power indication since it reads pressure pulses in the cylinders and relates them to crankshaft position. This system will not be certified until 2001 or later.
It's still worth developing a good sense of your required runway, speeds and the feel of acceleration in order to determine whether you have normal power. Since the feel of takeoff is affected by altitude, operational differences etc. you'll want to learn what is normal for your aircraft and typical conditions and base your comparison on that.
As one example, some owners have experienced low power ultimately found to be caused by wear of a cam lobe. None of the parameters above indicated a problem. The power loss was first detected in cruise, and only in extreme cases was noticed in takeoff power.