Find a local club and someone to help you. Your planes are doing you a favor by not starting. Flying a simulator and flying a plane are not the same thing. Chances are about 99% that your plane will not survive the first flight. A club can hook you up on a buddy box and let you get the feel of the plane. They will also help you with the setup of the planes. No simulator Iknow will do that.

On the engines. The manuals will have a starting point for the needle valve and idle mix control. You didn't say what engines you have, so it will be hard to give you a hint on what the original settings should be.

With both the high speed and idle set to the manuals recommended setting, the engines should start and run. The settings for one are most likely different for the other, so you should treat them as individuals. You didn't say if these are new engines or second hand engines that are broken in. Big difference on how you will treat them for a while.

Lets assume that they are in good condition and broken in. With the carb set to the initial setting, start the engine and let it warm up at 1/4 throttle or less for a minute or so. Then go to full throttle. As you are a newbie, you should use a tach to set the engines. Adjust the high speed needle for maximum RPM, turn it lean an eighth turn and hold for a few seconds, then adjust again. When you find the peak, then go to the rich side by around 400 rpm drop. If you get 350 that's good 450 is also good. Now set the throttle to idle speed,as slow as you can and keep the engine running. Very slowly lean the idle mix, 1/16th turn at a time and again wait, You will do this until youget the maximum rpm without changing the throttle. Now go backand do the high speed over again. Back to the idle and this time the engine should idle slower. Your goal is a strong idle at 2200.Again adjust for max RPMat a fixed throttle set toidle. Now work on the transition. The engine should jump from idle when youhammer the throttle. If it sputters and coughs and slowly gains rpm, you need to lean the idle mix a little more. If it dies as soon as you punch it, it is to lean, open itup a little and then try again. The carb tuning is a balancing act. You can get a carbtuned for max RPM, but it will not idle at all, or you can get it to idle but not run at any throttle above idle. To know where you are, you need to start the adjustment procedure from the factory setting. Again theyare different engine to engine and manufacture to manufacture.

It is a good idea to tune and make a few flights without a cowl over the engine. You can see what is going on and the needles are easier to reach. Once you haveit running right, say five or six fights without any issue, then you can put the cowl back on and you will most likely have to tweak the settings to make up for the different air flow.

One thing is bothering me. You stated that you couldn't get to either the carb or muffler to put your finger over it to choke the engine. You are in for a lot of problems if theexhaust is clear of thecowl. Your engine will not run well as it will be trying to suck in exhaust fumesVs freshair. Also the plane is going to be a mess inside with all that oil beingdumped in. The exhausthas to dump outside the plane.

Back to my first comment, find a club and getsome hands on help. You will make a new friend andyou will likely go home at theend of the day with a smile and not a bunch of crunched balsa.

Don