ORIGINAL: craigteffe
My point was this that if I'm going to run the engine for four hours to break it in I'm going to fly it. Did it the same way i did my DA. There is no reason not to to fly it for the break in.
It actually helps to fly for the break in because you have more airflow over the engine. I have seen people burn the engines up by running them on the ground for too long.
And my point is that if an engine is broken in on the ground, you don't have to fly circles for several hours. Plus breaking it in on the ground allows for a more controlled run and you only need to touch the needles again if you're through the first 3 gallons of fuel.
And no, an engine can get much hotter in the air compared to an engine running w/o cowling @2500rpm. All overheating problems occur in the air and are either related to a lean run or poor airflow or both. No such issues on the ground.