First, this is my first Fuel Engine plane. I just got the Hobbico Superstar Select and I went thru the instructions on starting the engine with no luck! I have a Glow Starter that has a C battery in it and a chicken stick, I also got 5% fuel to break in engine with. Could someone please help me start this thing. Like I said, I am a real beginner so please give me as much details as possible! I cant get the engine to fire, I primed it and the turned the prop 10 times before I hooked up glow stick, the proceeded to crank prop but wouldn't fire. Its possible I flooded the engine due to frustration. Any help would be greatly Appreciated!!!!

Thanks
Brian

Hmm....Sounds like you need 10% nitro. With the O.S. LA engines, the break-in isn't as crucial as it is with the old steel cylinders and pistons...the new O.S. engines are all aluminum. Don't get me wrong, though. Breaking in your engine will give it a better and longer life. It sounds as though your equipment is OK, but you'll have better luck with some knowledge and experience to go along withyour stuff.... Do you have a hobby shop nearby? If your engine won't start with just flips, perhaps you hobby shop's electric starter will do the trick They will probably be more than happy to help out. Good luck, Andrew

First of all..you should already have at least a couple of extra glow plugs for the engine.I believe a 40 OS come with that plane. That takes an A3 plug. They're not very expensive. Next, use you glow plug wrench (you gotta have that) and remove the glow plug. You have to confirm that the glow plug and glow plug igniter are working. Hold the glow plug in something like pliers (grip just enough to hold) or a heavy fire resistant glove. They heat up in a hurry. Connect the igniter and you should see an obvious glow of the filament in the inside center of the plug. If not one or both of the 2 are not working. Try connecting the glow starter to a brand new plug to rule out the plug. Stay connected just long enough to confirm glow. If still no heat...your starter isn't working. Look into fixing that or getting another starter.

When priming the engine, do so according to the manual procedure. Don't expect to see a line full of fuel between the fuel outlet and the carb while priming.. Start with the needle valve opened about 1 1/2 turns. Make a small mark on the top of it with a marker (Sharpie) so you know how much you've turned it and you can close it up after starting to adjust to proper run setting. With the throttle opened a bit (without the glow starter connected!!!!!) plug the carb opening with a finger and give several flips or rotate the prop with a frm hand motion thru several compression strokes counterclockwise...from the front view. Get a trusted friend to securely hold the plane. Connect the glow starter. Then try. STAY CLEAR OF THE SPINNING PROP.
Good luck,

That's a good point. Maybe th 5% nitro is causing a hard start. Anyway 10% or even 15% is OK for the new engine as long as you take it easy with the RPM's and run it rich to start. Take time with breakin. If your plane didn't come with a complete engine manual, OS Engines has a website where you can download the complete manual for your engine.

i have a super star and i had the same problem i use 10% fuel and i tried to start it with the chicken and it didnt work so i had a friend use his electric starter and it worked i can use a chicken stick now thats its broken in.

Thanks guys, I did what you all said and I did get it too start, but it would run great for about 5 minutse and all of a sudden, it would shut off, I think I will try the 10% fuel tommorrow, It doesn't seem to have the fire that the 10% might give it. Thanks for all the replys, It really helps to have you all to help out with a beginner. I am not going to fly yet, I am going to try and find an experienced person to help but that is my next task, If I am unsucessfull, I am going at it alone. I figure I can try to just get it off the ground and then land it and get a little higher each time untill I feel good with that, but I will try and find a trainer to help me first. I ran a full tank through it today of 5%, do you think that is enough break in? Also, those chicken sticks are He^# on your back! Thank You very much for your help, all of you!

Brian

Brian,
You've got the spirit to be an avid RC hobbiest. I know how anxious all beginners are to get into the air and get on with it. Unfortunately, I tried the same approach as you suggest...take it little at a time and get the plane a little higher each flight. But that's not a good idea. Learned that the hard way. The beginners best friend is altitude. One of the hardest things to master is landing without incident. When you take off with these planes you're committed to flight. Touch and goes come with practice. So, if you go if alone just try driving the plane around on the ground. Sounds boring but it will get you the feel of a couple of the controls. Find an experienced flyer with a buddy box connection.
If the plane runs for 5 minutes without fault and then suddenly quits I doubt the nitro mixture is the cause. After it stops, check to see if there is any fuel left in the tank. If its empty, the 5 minutes at a rich fuel setting is proabbly all you will get with a 7 oz. tank. But that seems a bit short. Check to see of the clunk fuel line inside the tank is free to move and that it is positioned correctly. With an empty tank you should hear it rattle back and forth as you tip the plane upside down. That clunk line should be long enough so that the clunk weight does not contact the rear of the tank but will hang in the bottom in any position. Good Luck.

Thanks jrpnde, I took your advice and drove it all over the neighborhood last night. It was kinda fun. The only thing is, Im a grown man and all the kids including my own say, FLY IT. They didn't invest the $$$ and they dont quite understand how hard that short phrase is. I started with a Megatech Skyliner EP and wow, it was a real peice of junk. (at least for a beginner). So I had a real bad experience and it wasnt cheap, luckily I replace the parts and sold it for not to much loose. Well Im going to ask a few more questions later

Thanks
Brian

Okay, I have a few stupid questions and I know alot of you are going to say "this guy is real dumb" but everybody didn't start with all the knowedge of flying. First question is: When I turn the plane, do I use the Airleons or the Rudder or both? Okay, question 2, when turning, should I apply some elevator? Okay, know for another, how do you check th balance of your plane from side to side? and should I use a ruler to make sure the wing is in the exact center? I know how to check balance from front to back and the superstar is right on the money. Now for the last question for now, I have a field that is 4 soccer fields, so it is about 250 yds long and about 150 yds wide, is this enough space to fly the superstar? Thanks for all the help, this is somthing Ive wanted to do for so many years but just didn't take the plunge untill about a month ago, I purchased a real cheap electric off ebay and I was hooked.

Thanks
Brian

What kind of radio do you have?
Yes you use both airleons and rudder to turn the plane, althrough if your teaching yourself, it is much harder to do a good equil turn using both so your turns will be wide and ugly. A rudder is more or less really important for a twin more than a single so some people rarely touch the rudder but its good practice to use it anyway. I dont suggest using your plane in your "neighborhood" find a deserted parking lot or a large LARGE FLAT field if you are going to teach yourself. Although i really dont recommend you do teach yourself. If you use a trainer you will learn faster with less chance of screwing up. Balance checks are all over the place. Just type your question in a search engine, or on here and im pretty sure you will find your answer.
One last comment on the engine break in period. I think these days with the newer engines especially the so called "break in period" is highly over rated. Just run the normal fuel through engine and use a slightly smaller suggested prop for the first flights and thats all you really need to do. Oh and if your going to crash, dont go nose first.[&:]

There's books and websites all over the place giving basic flying instruction. Here's one that is kind of brief but I thought it included some good basics. Its actually written as a guide for new instructors when instructing beginners.

http://www.palosrc.com/instructors/teachrc.htm#III