As a starter, I do not know if I should invest in a electric starter for my trainer.

I would like to save some $.... does a chicken stick needs plenty of skill to get a new engine cranking....

Get a chicken stick. If you're looking to save money, use a 3/4" wooden dowel wrapped with duct tape, or skip the duct tape. Some will say an electric starter is a must, others will say it's a luxury. It all depends on how deep your pockets are.

Bottom line is: If you're at the field, and can't start your plane with a chicken stick, a few nice words to your fellow fliers will often have them walking over to you with their electric starter. (which is a good reason to be a helpful club member. If you're a jerk, I'd suggest buying your OWN starter )

On glow engines I use a starter,some of my friends use a chicken stick then if there plane doesn't start they borrow my starter.

IF you plan on staying in this hobby then buy a starter that is rated for up to 90 size engines. Once an engine has started and been adjusted it is very easy to start but the first start of the day can take a bit of cranking. I consider a starter with at a 7 amp hour 12 volt battery one of the basics that you should have. m[8D]

"Stick" with it!!!

If your just starting out you dont know how to set your engine correctly and most likely a chicken stick will take a long time to work. Do youself a favor and invest in a starter. Some of us with a starter begin to get annoyed if you always use it and never go invest in your own. If you feel creative you can make one from a junk car or boat motor. The starters in there do the same thing. You will just have to build your own cone to fit over the nose (not really a big deal).

I use a starter as a must, but that is because i fly pattern and if you dont start in 3 min then yer out. but my engines almost always run perfect so if i were practicing i wouldnt need it.

If you are going to stick with the hobby, spend the $15 to $20 and get a starter. You will be glad you did. If it is just a fad with you and you are going to fly till you crash and then quit, use a chicken stick or borrow a starter from someone at the field. You can get by with a chicken stick, but it is a pain in the butt in the long run. If you intend to stick with it, get the starter. The right tools make the hobby much more enjoyable.

When I started, I got one of those card boxes that contains a manual pump, a chicken stick, a rechargable glow starter and some other bits.... I must've spent hours trying to hand crank my first engine over.

Now with the benifit of experience, a well set up engine when correctly primed will start in the first couple of flips. I always keep the starter handy though, in case the engine doesn't want to cooperate....

If you don't budget for a starter, you'll curse yourself on the first trip to the field...

I use a electric starter because I got prop bit a long time ago and still try to stay as far away as I can. I look at it this way, if you can afford it go ahead and get the electric. Why forego something that is meant to make your life easier.

I can appreciate wanting to save some money, but I have to agree with the pro-starter bunch. You have a lot to learn without having to learn the skills required to start your engine with a stick, and it can be very frustrating to sit there and flip flip flip. After I was in the hobby a couple of years, I decided to learn the chicken stick routine, and it always impresses the guys when you start the engine with just a flip or two. It's not that difficult (most of the "skill" is learning to prime the engine right), but I find that even though I'm really good at it, every once in a while I'll be at the field and it seems no matter how many flips, the dang thing won't catch. That's a good time to bring out the old electric starter and just spin that thing until it fires.

Although I flip start my own engines, I normally recommend that students get an electric starter.

No Chicken Stick!

Absolutely get a starter. This is one investment that is definitely worth it.

Some additional thoughts:

1) I've noticed that 100% of people at my field use electric starters on any given day. Must be a good reason for that
2) After some experience, I found that you want to limit the number of cables around your plane. Will be safer and neater. So, if affordable to you, get a battery that attaches to the starter (see Hobbico's setup)
3) DEFINITELY get a remote glow ignitor

I use the Hobbico Torqmaster 90 and the Tower Hobbies Glow starter with meter (lets you know electricity is flowing and how much power you have left).

Have Fun!
Jim

Always use a STARTER for safety reasons and for your convenience!

I flipped everything from .049s to 41 CC gas engines. I never used the chicken stick though. Have the scars to proove it on the finger that the flooded engines kicked back on. Its a huge pain to have to flip it. There are just some things you don't need to save a buck on.

IF IT WAS ME I WOULD GET A ELECTRIC START. I HAVE A SUPERSTAR AND I CANT GET IT STARTED WITH A CHICKEN STICK TO SAVE MY SOUL. MY HUSBAND DOES FOR ME BUT OTHER THEN THAT I USE THE ELECTRIC STARTER. SOMETIMES THE ELECTRIC STARTER MAKES THE PROP COME LOSE AND SOMETIMES THAT IS A PAIN IN THE TAIL. GOOD LUCK... I AM JUST LEARNING TOO. I HAVE BEEN LEARNING FOR ABOUT A YEAR.

THANKS

Oh man if u can see my hands u wouldnt care how much those starters cost
busted 3 of my fingers and a few props before i convinced myself that i would probably run out of fingers before i can get this thing goin smoothly.[:@]

Both -- is my answer. I normally use a chicken stick to start my glow engines. There is nothing like having a complete set of starting tools that fits in your pocket! I rarely use my "persuader", but when I use it I need it... [:@] Except for my YS engines -- never did learn the knack of hand starting them...

Go to the field a few times with the stick, and borrow a starter of needed. When you learn to fly, and if you decide you like it, save up and buy a GOOD starter (like a 180 size). I bought a little starter for my trainer, and it worked great, but when I moved up in planes, that little starter had no chance starting a saito 100 or 120, especially when they were new. This may seem like overkill, but if you grow in the hobby, you will save a lot of money in the long run by having equipment that will be viable as you grow.

You can get a used electric starter for next to nothing. Drink cheap coffee for a week (sucks to have a Starbucks at work) and take the saved money and go to ebay.

My sullivan Hi Torque starts my 180s just fine. I wouldn't worry about going over board. If you get to the point where you can afford bigger engines than that, you can afford a second starter.

this might have been mentioned already, but i think it depends on the engine. i have an electric starter that i got for my os 40 la that would have trouble starting (i couldnt flip start it unless it was warm). i recently bought a plane with an old os 40 fp engine in it. this thing is old. i like it because it flip starts on the first flip even when its cold. so whenever you get an engine that wont flip start, just get an electric starter. you can get an inexpensive gel cell with a charger for the power(also good to power field chargers), or i recommend a jump starter for a car ($50-$60). it has a high capacity battery in it, jumper cables that you can hook your starter or field charger to, a cigarette lighter hole (some chargers use cigarette lighter plugs like the one in your car), a light, and an air compressor (also useful when you get pneumatic retracts for a future plane).

I read that starters put unnesesary wear on the engine.

Go to an RC swap meet I bought a starter for ten bucks I bought a electric fuel pump for $5. bucks one mans trash is another mans treasure !!!!!

Thats a good one.

You were joking weren't you?

As gitterdun said, you can find them at a swap meet too at times. I just sold a guy 2 flight boxes, a sullivan starter and a fuel pump for $15 a couple weeks ago from a friend getting out of the hobby. They are out there. You have to look.