ORIGINAL: AA5BY
No doubt you are correct but as a Ham, you might appreciate the variance in the ability to deal with sound. Some ops, can learn 20wpm fairly easy. Many years ago, if I'd known how hard it was to get to 20wpm, I doubt I'd taken the task on. I made it... but only because of being too stubborn to give up... it was really hard. It required a year of work with almost every evening devoted to an hour of practice.
As you say, if I changed the mixtures and flew then I might be able to sort out what sounds were not prop load related or positioning of the exhaust to my ear... and if that was what was needed to ensure good operation, I'd likely put the effort to it. Fortunately, I don't think it is necessary as I believe I can do about the same on the ground without the load changes and positioning changes so that my ears don't have to sort out those subtleties from the telltale sound of an engine wanting a richer mixture.
I completely believe that some can do so... but I also believe that some can't.
I put out the same effort as you to learn 20wpm back 30 something years ago. My one middle aged son has his Extra rating and is lucky to know one letter of code. If he gets interested, I'm sure he will get the computer to decode it?
From what you say, I doubt you ever went through the games of listening to several CW QSO's at once and practicing picking out the copy of just one of them? With CW you can pick out operator mood and temperment, skill, personality, knowledge, equipment, and just about anything else you might notice the same as from a voice conversation.
If you felt the need of being able to learn rich from lean in the air with your engines - you would have practiced and done so by now?
At the field, If I happen to even notice, the way you run your engines - good or bad - I will not say anything to you or anyone else or even consider it unless asked to listen and worry more about how my own engines run as I have for close to 60 years.
The way you run your engines is none of my business.
I just want you to know that the clues are there if you care to listen.
73's