Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

6 Answers

Why is mixture rich and fuel on both used in maneuvers for a C172RG?

Asked by: 3570 views Flight Instructor

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

6 Answers



  1. Fly92020 on Feb 19, 2014

    Where are you seeing that? I looked in my POH for 1981 172RG and it doesn’t say anything about turning the Aux Fuel pump on, unless engine-driven pump pressure is < .5-PSI (you don't start, takeoff or land a 172RG with Aux Fuel pump on…). And of course, mixture in a carbureted engine is dependent on power setting & altitude. Is this something a CFI or Flight School is telling you to do (could be their policy)? If so, ask -them-.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. psequeira on Feb 20, 2014

    Yes Fly2020 it’s just a practice they follow at my flying school, and they are no longer open. And I have a check ride coming up and I didn’t know as to why they do it. Appreciate you replying to me!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Mark Kolber on Feb 20, 2014

    Fly92020, where do you see Aux Fuel Pump on in the question? All I see is mixture rich and fuel set to both tanks.

    psequeira, fuel on both tanks is standard for takeoffs, landing, etc in the RG. There are times when you may want to use only the right tank or the left, such as when there is an imbalance or one tank tends to draw more rapidly than the other, but even then, it should only be in level cruise flight. For takeoff and landing and other maneuvers, you want to have the fuel on both. You can find this various places in the POH, including the limitations section (which refers to fuel-both being required takeoffs and landings) and the Section 7 description of systems (see pg 7-25 of the 1979 edition POH for example) which includes, “Operation from either LEFT or RIGHT tank is reserved for level cruising flight only”).

    Mixture rich simply suggests to me that you are flying in an area of generally low density altitude is standard for takeoff, landing, climbs and other maneuvers that may require application of full power below 3000′.

    I have to ask – is this a private or commercial checkride? If commercial, this really should have been covered in your training or your reading of the POH in preparation for the systems part of the oral.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Fly92020 on Feb 20, 2014

    I read it as “mixture rich and fuel on”…. both used in maneuvers, etc., and THAT’s where I inferred he meant Fuel (pump) On. I’ll just let you answer all these from now on as you seem to have vastly more knowledge and readin’ skilz than all the rest of us.

    -2 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 2 Votes



  5. Mark Kolber on Feb 20, 2014

    Hardly. I’ve misread far more than my share of questions through the years. Heck, we still haven’t heard from psequeira whether I understood it correctly.

    I thought perhaps there was some ability for a questioner to edit a question and he originally said “fuel pump.”

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  6. Brian on Feb 22, 2014

    “fuel on”

    Hmm. As opposed to fuel off? 😉

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.