Lot more elegant ways than whipping it like a naughty puppy.

Check out the Tower webpage and look up Flight Line Equipment. Their catalog is an excellent text book for learning the art of modeling.

Glow plug engines need 3 things to start.
Fuel, "glow" for the glowplug, and something to flip the prop.
Obviously it's not quite that simple. For example, "something to turn the prop" can range from the standard 12V portable starter to a "chicken stick" to your own hand.