Michael Ash writes:

What a total non sequitur. The idealism was referring to your statement
that it would be great if pilots could just concentrate on the flying and
ignore the engine. Well it's true, it would be great, but there's this
little thing called reality which gets in the way.

Reality didn't seem to get in the way of simplification in airliners. You
don't see too many flight engineers these days.

Airliners may have better engine management systems but it's still there.

Yes, but it's done by computer, not the pilots, and design improvements have
made management less necessary.

And don't paint all private pilots with the same brush.

I don't. There are plenty of smart ones around.

Yep, but my point is that you still have to think about it to *some*
extent.

That doesn't justify having to think about it to a _large_ extent.

And you think that no power pilots like engine management?

Oh, I'm sure there are a few. There's always someone in the neighborhood with
his car up on blocks, and I'm sure aviation is the same way.

From what I've
seen, for a significant proportion of these guys, getting maximum
performance out of the engine, minimizing fuel burn, holding CHT to the
exact right value, and tweaking that last few miles of range out of the
engine is an enormous thrill. I don't share in that enthusiasm myself but
it's definitely there in some guys.

So flying isn't really their purpose, it's just incidental.