David,

You might have that backwards: students (and renters) tend to run
overrich, not overlean, at least from what I've heard. It's the
overrich operation that does the damage (fouled plugs, stuck valves,
etc.).


The point is: Students, renters and pilots in general shouldn't have to
worry about this 30s-era-stuff. I wouldn't have believed how convenient
the one-lever operation of a Thielert diesel is until I flew the
Diamond Star TDI. It is great: That one lever isn't even connected
mechanically to the engine. There are engine instruments, but the only
one that really matters is the "percent power" gauge. Everything else
is handled by the computers - even if you slam the throttly forward
hamfistedly, they will accelerate (sp?) the engine as gently as makes
sense from a mechanical standpoint.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)