Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

I can't start up my .049 can anybody help me?

Jim Thomerson

Tell us how you go about trying to start it. Then we can help.

Jim

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

ok this is on my pt-19 cox (a classic) I fuel it up squirt some fuel into the piston shaft and then i take my 12 volt starter and spin it it works sometimes but the engine dies from going into grass or something like that

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

U P your description makes it sound like we are right there with you,,,your using an electric starter on it...and it works sometimes? then it crashes into the grass?..so its running but you crash it?....Rog

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

what I mean is that the few times it starts up it hits something on takeoff
the starter works but it doesn't start that particular engine good

burtcs

The startup sequence should be:

1 open needle valve 3-3 1/2 turns

2 fuel tank with 15-35% nitro fuel

3 prime cylinder with a drop or two of fuel

4 attach 1.5 volt battery to glowhead

5 turn engine over with spring/hand/starter

6 fine tune needle valve till the engine is screaming then back of 1/8 turn.

But I'm kind of with Flyingrog here, maybe you need to move the grass - dunno. I mean it sounds like to engine is running until YOU loose control of the model - yes/no?

HTH - Steve B.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

I'm guessing this is a control line plane instead of radio control? which means you should be in a parking lot or some place smooth or have somebody hand launch/throw the plane for you...if its radio control then throw it your self and forget about take offs, most of us dont us any landing gear just throw and belly land in the grass...HTH...Rog

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

this is cl now I'm trying to use the club runway but that doesnt help alot it is to heavy to hand launch
i do not lose control of the plane

BMatthews

Sounds like your landing gear is too short. It probably bent from some previous landings. You need to tweak it back so the legs are a bit taller and the wheels a bit closer together.

As Steve mentioned in his 6 point list you need to open the needle up so it starts rich and then lean it out to make the sound of the exhaust as high a pitch as you can then back it off a hair. And try running it for a couple of tanks on the ground to make sure it runs out the whole tank at the full RPM's. If it's hard to peak out or seems like the needle valve needs to be adjusted to keep it running with lots of large changes in the RPMs while running then it may need some cleaning out, the needle valve tip may be bent or the reed may be deformed or worn out.

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

I always had better luck flying the pt-19 over concrete or asphalt. My favorite place to fly is the cul-de-sacs at new sub-divisions where the streets are paved but there arent any houses yet. Also parking lots- good ones are at college or pro ball parks on days when there's no game- the noise goes un-noticed usually there.

The wheels on the pt-19 are too small to deal with any grass at all, even finely cut grass on a well-kept runway. The wire axle is only about 1/2 inch from the ground and any grass longer than 1/2 inch gets stuck in the crevice between the axle and the wheel.
You just have to take off from pavemet.

Also some 12v starters are too slow to really be good at starting cox engines, the typical yellow sullivan that is used on the larger .40 rc engines for example. On my pt19 the built in spring starter never took more than four or five tries to get things going.

Be sure your glow plug battery is fresh or freshly charged, and the glow plug clip is getting good contact.

After a while you will want to get a 6-4 prop (you may need a left hand prop for some pt-19- just bring the old prop with you to the shop- the stock prop is a 6-3) The pt-19 is transformed to a serious fun machine by the 6-4 prop.

Tim Wiltse-RCU

Underaged Pilot,

The good ol' PT-19 Control Liner!!!! That was the plane that lead be down this path of 1/2a flying and was my first plane at age 12. While it was easier to just fy off a hard paved surface what my buddy and I would do is lay out 4 or 5 pieces of ply wood, sheetrock or what ever we found in our dads' barns and used it to take off from and made a low ramp at the end. Your right the PT-19 is just to heavy to hand launch.

Also DO NOT use an electric starter on the stock engine. You will grind the front end of the crankcase down and push the crank into the backplate in short order if you do.


Later,
Tim

gcb

Another take-off trick if the wind cooperates or there is no wind is to stand on the edge of a road and have someone launch the plane so that it has half a circle to take off before it goes over grass. As you are flying you walk the plane over so you are flying totally over grass. It's easier on the plane if/when you smack it in. Landings will be lousy though.

Lots of options.

George

Tim Wiltse-RCU

George,

Those are GREAT tips and is what we would do. Set up on the parking lot and release the plane to it comes around into the wind on take off and then walk backwards to get over the safety of the grass.

Later,
Tim

50+AirYears

I've found that a regular starter can be a help in starting these engines if the engine has one of the old aluminum spinner nuts, or one of the threaded sleeves for the rubber push-on spinner. You set the starter cup for the spinner opening, then when ready to start, with the glow plug connected to the battery, press the starter switch and slowly and gently pull UP against the side of the 049 spinner or fitting untill the egine starts spinning over. Geats a great reduction effect that gives a great high speed spinning, too. Just be careful not to overprime the engine, or you could damage it from hydraulic lock. Also, don't press the cup against the prop. You want to pull up, not push the prop back.

SpeedSport

My Feedback: (1)

Yes pull up on the prop, i have been useing an electric starter on my cox0.49 and i can already see signs of crank rub. I'm going to start pulling up instead of pushing.

50+AirYears

For an 049, it doesnt take much pressure to turn it over.

gcb

Underage Pilot,

We haven't heard from you, did you get it sorted out?

Some things covered that are important: Use at least 15% nitro, peak the engine but not over lean (you need the RPM because this is a heavy plane.

One thing not mentioned, is this a new PT-19 or an older one? They originally came with a Babe Bee installed, then product engines became the choice. Early product engines have one intake bypass, as did the Babe Bee. These do not have the power of the modern two bypass (Sure Start) product engines. (An intake bypass is the slot(s) that moves fuel and air from the bottom of the engine into the cylinder.)

Between hand flipping and the spring starter, you should not need a starter. I never use a starter on an .049 engine.

By the way, your engine will be easier to start once it has some run time on it.

Keep us posted.

George

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

I only have 10% nitro and that will get it to run for short periods of times
it is 2 years old and I installed a new engine in it and that doesn't help a lot

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

You need more nitro. I use 35%, but 25% is still good. Never had alot of success with less. Others have though.

50+AirYears

Duh! It just took me this time to realize you are mentioning problems taking off from grass. Many of these small planes have wheels too small to be effective on grass. If you drive to your flying site, or if you live real close, maybe some sheets of thin plywood or corregated cardboard about 2, 2 1/2' wide and a long as you can fit into a car can be laid out in a semblance of an arc to serve as a temporary runway to let you have a smooth take-off. Just stack one end on top of the nest sheet so that as the plane tracks on TO, it drops onto the next sheet.

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

ya i thought of that

RobinB66

My Feedback: (1)

AWWWWWWWWWWW the days of youth! I miss my pt 19 and my p40 warhawk. Heck these lil cox engines are so fun that once the aircraft was of no use id nail the engine via the mounting holes on the tank or screw it to a heavy piece of wood start it up and just watch it run! Always facinated me!
Later!
Robin[8D]

groundsman

My brother and I would hand launch Our PT 19s, because all we had was grass to fly from. We would run about a quarter circle and give it a healthy toss. Worked OK