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X-Plane 12 Mastering Complex Aircraft Engine Management.

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X-Plane 12 engine management requires you to fly complex aircraft and opens the door to a new level of realism and responsibility. When you’re dealing with adjustable pitch propellers, manifold pressure (MP), propeller RPM, and mixture control, you’re managing a delicate balance that affects engine performance, fuel efficiency, and even engine longevity.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to manage engine power correctly in single and twin-engine complex aircraft in X-Plane 12, referencing performance tables and procedures from the Beechcraft Baron 58 POH—one of the best examples of a traditionally complex piston aircraft. We’ll also explore how this knowledge applies to aircraft like the Van’s RV-10, Carenado Bonanza, and other popular GA planes.

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What Is a Complex Aircraft in X-Plane 12?

X-Plane 12 engine management in complex aircraft are the next step after owning or flying something like a Cessna 150/172 etc or a Jabiru 170 like I use to fly. The level of complexity rises with more moving parts like retractable undercarriage, adjustable propellers and mixtures. All these require much more management when flying and the additional risk the undercarriage won’t extend once its up and your flying. Let’s dive into this more!

A complex aircraft is one with:

• Retractable landing gear
• A variable-pitch (constant-speed) propeller
• Manual mixture control
• Often includes cowl flaps and multiple engine management systems

Examples in X-Plane 12:

• Beechcraft Baron 58
• Van’s RV-10 (third-party)
• Carenado Bonanza, Mooney M20, and Piper Arrow

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Understanding the Key Engine Controls

Let’s break down X-Plane 12 engine management, the major components of power management so you can better understand why it is more complex than your Cessna or Jabiru where nothing is adjustable.

Controlling the performance of say a Twin engine Baron 58 that we have in X Plane 12 is actually a lot of extra monitoring and adjusting which is why I love flying it when I fire up X Plane 12.

In a checklist that is downloadable there are a number of basic Throttle/Manifold Pressure – Propeller RPM and Mixture Settings for the best all round performance. If you choose to fly a single engine or multi engine aircraft with these features you will appreciate how you can closely manage the performance and ensure engine is maintained.

The Baron checklist has a variety of general settings for each situation to get you in the ballpark. Download the PDF and upload it into your favorite PDF viewer in sim to keep track of your best settings.

1. Throttle (Manifold Pressure – MP)

Throttle position from Idle to Max power is displayed in Inches of mercury or Inches on the manifold pressure gauge. This tells you how much power you can make to a point. As you climb in a naturally aspirated aircraft the available manifold pressure will drop as air pressure drops and therefore there will be less power available.

• Think of MP as the amount of air (and power potential) entering the engine.
• Measured in inches of mercury (inHg).
• Controlled by the throttle lever.
• In naturally aspirated engines, full throttle typically gives you up to ~29–30 inHg at sea level.
• Reduce MP as you climb—air density drops with altitude.

2. Propeller Control (RPM)

Pretty self explanatory as you move the Preller control its pitch into the air will change. At sea level its normally reasonably fine but as you climb and the air thins you want it to grab as much air as possible.

To increase the pitch will give you more thrust to a point. Also you can turn the prop into the wind should the engine fail so as to limit the drag from the bad engine and propeller.

This is quite important! This is called feathering the propeller.

• Controls the speed of the propeller blades by adjusting blade pitch.
• In cruise, we generally lower RPM for efficiency and noise reduction.
• Controlled via the blue propeller lever.

3. Mixture Control

Mixture adjustment enables the user to maintain the ideal air to fuel mixture as air density and altitude change. If you don’t adjust the mixture it will get to rich and not perform as well as you need and you will get less power from the engine.

Getting the mixture to lean will make the mixture to thin and produce less power but more importantly the heat will increase to dangerous levels causing burnt engine Valves and Melted pistons. At $60,000 per engine thats a big expense if you get it wrong.

• Adjusts the fuel-to-air ratio.
• Full-rich at sea level, but needs leaning at higher altitudes for efficiency and to avoid spark plug fouling.
• Controlled via the red mixture lever.

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Basic Power Management Technique (From Baron 58 POH)

Here’s a general method that applies to most complex piston-engine aircraft in X-Plane 12:

Set your RPM and check the manifold pressure! Remember not to go past the maximum allowable unless you have big pockets and a bank account to go with it. Check RPM, MAN Pressure and Check Mixture and PROPELLER are set correctly. Also ensure the COWL FLAPS are open so the engine can be cooled correctly!

We will close these for aerodynamic efficiency once airborne and the air is moving much faster past and through the cooling ducts of the engine with aircraft speed.

Takeoff:

• Throttle (MP): Full (Max available ~29-30 inHg at sea level)
• Prop RPM: Full forward (2700 RPM)
• Mixture: Full rich
• Cowl Flaps: Open
• Monitor engine temps & fuel flow closely.

Climb:

• Throttle: Keep full or slightly reduce MP to 25 inHg
• RPM: Reduce to 2500 after 500–1000 ft AGL
• Mixture: Begin leaning above 3000 ft if engine temps allow
• Cowl Flaps: Keep open until cruise

Cruise:

Use the “25 squared rule” for a safe starting point:

• Throttle (MP): 23–25 inHg
• Prop RPM: 2300–2500 RPM
• Mixture: Lean for peak EGT or 50°F rich of peak (ROP) for best power
• Cowl Flaps: Closed if temps are stable

📌 Baron 58 POH example cruise settings (75% power @ 5000 ft):

• 23.2 inHg MP @ 2450 RPM
• Fuel flow: ~24 GPH total (12 GPH per engine)
• True airspeed: ~175 KTAS

Descent:

• Reduce MP gradually to avoid shock cooling
• Maintain RPM constant at cruise setting (e.g., 2300–2400)
• Richen mixture slightly as you descend
• Avoid sudden throttle or RPM reductions

Landing:

• Throttle: Controlled descent power (~15 inHg on final)
• RPM: Full forward (for go-around readiness)
• Mixture: Full rich below 3000 ft AGL
• Cowl Flaps: Open to help cool engine on approach

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Understanding the Manifold Pressure & RPM Relationship

The basic principle is:

Throttle sets power. RPM sets efficiency.

• MP and RPM must be balanced—you should never have MP higher than RPM/100.
  For example:
  • 25 inHg MP & 2500 RPM = ✅ OK
  • 27 inHg MP & 2300 RPM = ❌ Risk of overboost and engine damage

Some pilots follow this quick rule:

“MP should never exceed RPM in hundreds.“

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Leaning the Mixture: Best Practices

Leaning for Cruise:

1. Lean the mixture slowly while watching the Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT).
2. Stop when EGT peaks.
3. Then enrich slightly for 50°F Rich of Peak for power or go Lean of Peak (LOP) if the engine and aircraft support it.

Don’t Lean Below:

• 3000 ft AGL for most piston engines.
• During takeoff or go-around—stay full rich.

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How This Applies to Other Aircraft (RV-10, Bonanza, Mooney, etc.)

• The same principles apply across the board in X-Plane 12.
• RV-10 typically uses IO-540 engine with similar MP and RPM cruise profiles.
• Bonanza and Mooney may operate slightly leaner at cruise but require similar engine care.
• Always consult the aircraft POH or reference data for cruise performance charts.

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Tips for X-Plane 12 Pilots:

• Bind keys or joystick buttons for Prop Up/Down, Mixture Up/Down.
• Use datarefs or plugin monitors (like REP or SimCoders) to watch CHT/EGT.
• Use visual mixture cues in cockpit or performance changes to guide mixture settings if your aircraft lacks full instrumentation.
• Don’t “firewall” the throttle in cruise—it’s inefficient and unrealistic.
• Practice smooth power changes for realism and engine care.

Download X Plane 12 Baron 58 Quick Checklist & Engine Management Guide PDF.
Fly Smarted and Informed by LetsFlyVFR.com PDF CHECKLISTS
Click Here Please to Download Direct from LetsFLyVFR.com.

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Conclusion: X-Plane 12 Engine Management

Managing power in complex aircraft is a fine art. Throttle (MP), Prop (RPM), and Mixture must work together in harmony. Use the Baron 58 POH settings as a benchmark, and always apply real-world techniques like gradual transitions, proper leaning, and RPM management.

Your aircraft (and your passengers) will thank you.

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Author

Brendon McAliece (Aka Gunnie) is a military veteran with 23 years working on Jet Fighters, their weapons systems and ejection seat/module systems as well as munitions and R&D. Involved with flight simulation since the 1980s, he has flown all the major flight simulators over the years.

He is an Australian expat who has lived in Malaysia, UK, Saudi Arabia and more recently Thailand. He is a multi-lingual blogger who loves to share his life experiences here on LetsFlyVFR.com and DreamingGuitar.com, with his lifestyle and Travel experiences Blog plus his Dreaming Coffee website.

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