In fact, how an engine reacts to the throttle on the ground to how it acts in the air are often two different things for a very simple reason. The needle settings on the ground and it's throttle response are with the propeller operating in quite a different environment than it was actually designed for. The prop isn't unloaded and the engine is working at significantly lower rpm and gas flow than it will experience in the air. It's actually surpising that throttle response on the ground is as good a predictor of response in the air as it is with SOME engines. Sounds like yours isn't one of those.

Adjusting the needle valves (both or them) on the ground is actually not the end of it. We adjust needles and CGs on the ground to get the airplane close enough to those settings so the airplane has a better than average chance to fly while we do the real testing, in the air where it actually matters.

Speed of sound is a cute idea, but BS also travels at the speed of sound. If you need some clever, magic way to hear the engine while it's in the air, fly the airplane close enough to you that you have no problem hearing it.

And what it does then is what you need to adjust for.