It gets messy! But at the rear of the craft it will be minimized. These small engines are usually not muffled so are very annoying to hear. Hand launching with a moving prop is way to risky! A bungee launch set up would work though. Personaly I think you would be better off to go the better motor route and stay away from the noisy, messy, internal combustion powerplants. " But that is just my opinion I could be wrong."