Mike,
Several good hints posted above. A former jet buddy flew some of the Byron stuff and we found that it was best to start the engine in an upright position. We used a 5 gallon bucket (inverted) with about a 4" thick foam pad taped to the bottom. The jet was placed in the pad inverted and the glow plug backed out about a turn to relieve compression. Once the motor fired and was running at idle the glow lead was removed and the plug tightened for run ups and setting the needle for high speed. The best, safest, setting was just below peak RPM and you would (carefully) pinch the fuel line for a quick jump to peak. He ran 5-10% nitro fuel with added oil, to about 22% oil content. The Rossi's didn't idle or transition well and large bore OS carbs worked better. Once the engine was set the model was flipped over for taxi and takeoff. The MiG sat close to the ground and would suck up every pebble and FOD on the runway. Also, the huge "cheater hole" on the bottom would literally suck the MiG to the runway hindering liftoff. The best technique to rotate was to quickly chop the throttle, to reduce the suction, lift off and add power once airborne. It was tricky but it usually worked if the engine didn't quit on the power up. This was a lot of "fun" back in the early days of jets and other Byron users made chime in here with their experiences also.
Good luck with this side project and let us know how it turns out.
Rgds,
Art ARRO