icarus,

The fact that you are intimidated is a good sign. While having an experienced person on-hand would be the best its not necessarily any safer.

Can you work in the yard and secure the tail via rope to something solid...perhaps a tree?

Follow the manual regarding settings and fuel to use. Here's a list of items or thoughts that come to mind:

Make certain you know which direction the throttle arm moves to increase/decrease & shutoff.
Tighten the prop nut(s) with good size wrenches, not a 4-way. You should be tightening enough that holding the prop with a bare hand while tightening with the wrench is uncomfortable enough that you use a glove when you do it.

Be sure all nuts,bolts, screws on the engine, mount, and mount to firewall are tight.

Before attaching the glow lighter to the plug...fillup the tank. Recommend you use a filter off the fuel bottle AND one on the engine between the tank and carburetor.

Be certain you can run and monitor the engine while standing behind it. You can't start it that way but once its running make sure you have a clear path to behind it.

Be sure the rubber grommet in the starter properly fits your spinner. These can be flipped to provide a good fit for most spinners.

When you're ready:
1. fill up the tank
2. close needle till it stops. Don't tighten on it just turn it in until it stops. Take note of a mark on it and if there isn't one, make one so you can tell when it completes a turn. Open to the initial setting recommended in the manual.
3. place finger over end of exhaust and turn the prop a few times until you see fuel coming up the vent pressure line attached to your exhaust.
4. Take deep breath. Check to be sure you are ready and no one else is around that might get hurt should the prop fling off, etc. Keep any pets out of the area as well.

5. Attach starter to flight box/battery.
6. Turn on receiver
7. Turn on radio
8. Make certain that atleast the throttle control is working and in the correct direction. If you have a kill button make certain the carburetor closes completely when its depressed.
9. Advance throttle to where the carb is just barely open. (idle setting)
10. Pull the plane towards you to take out all the slack in the line holding it to the tree or whatever you have it secured to. Turn prop backwards until you meet resistance from engine compression.
11. Attach glow igniter to glow plug.
12. Keeping slack out of the securing line and steadying the plane with one hand and making sure everything is clear of the propeller!....firmly press starter to spinner and trigger it. (You might try this before you even fuel the plane and attach the igniter so you have an idea how its going to feel.)
13. Expect the engine to start because it most likely will. As soon as it does pull start away and ease away from plane as you make sure it is going to stay put.
14. With transmitter in hand get behind the plane perhaps even straddling it so that the stabilizer rests against the back of your ankles.
15. If its still running smoothly advance to full throttle and begin breakin sequence. When you idle back you'll have your wits about you. While idling carefully set your transmitter aside and reach up and remove the glow ignitor. Engine should keep running.
16. Retrieve transmitter, stand up still straddling the plane with stabilizer at your heels and rev it up to full throttle again. Let run a minute or two then back to idle. Now, try and kill the engine with your kill button. Hopefully it just cuts off. If it doesn't, set transmitter aside and steady yourself so that you can reach forward and pinch the fuel line from the carb and hold it until the engine quits.

17. Step away and sit down and enjoy a coke (and in my case a cigarette too).

You're on your way!

Enjoy,

Clay