Hi all,

I've been down to my local RC club. They were a wonderful bunch of people that welcomed me and told that if I come down on a weekday with a trainer and a buddy box and AMA membership they will teach me to fly without even joining the club (I plan to join, regardless) and I can even use the facilities (except on weekends) without being a club member. Clubs just don't get any better than this.

So, that leads me to my question...

My Avistar RTF is in the mail, I just joined the AMA, and I am wondering what else I need to buy to start flying?

I got a buddy box with a cord, after run oil, a hand-wind fueler, some tubing and fuel can mouting stuff (to be able to fuel the plane from the can). I also ordered a stick starter (wooden stick with rubber on the end to spin the prop) and 10% fuel, which will not get here for some time because it has to be ground shipped.

Can I use my nitro car glow plug igniter, or do these engines use different sized glow pulgst?

Is 10% fuel the only kind of fuel these engines run on (mine is the OS LA .40)? Can I use the 20% I have for my car?

Is there anything else I will need to have before I show up at the field? Spare props maybe?

I could figure all this out once I get the plane, but I'd rater order stuff in advance so I don't lose too much time. Time is ticking...

Thanks in advance,
Mike

welcome to the world of R/C flight...sounds to me like you have every thing you need to start...the same glow starter you use for the cars will work for an airplane...also 20% fuel is a little high,it will work fine untill you get the 10%...if you don't have an extra prop or two...it would be a good idea to pick up some...you could pick up a flight box(optional)to carry all the stuff you need in one simple unit...myself i use a tool box to carry my flight equipment...

good luck on your new adventure,

john

Just buy one of everything. Or two. Just kidding. Buy some extra glow plugs. On a new engine the first plug won't last to long. Also I would buy a starter motor much much easier then hand starting.
Also a battery tester for the flight battery. Very very inportant to test your battery before and after each and every flight. A quick charger would be a good investment to. That is if you like to fly all day. Also you might want a little bottle to catch the fuel that will come out of the pressure line when your filling your tank. A prop balancer is a must. See I told you 1 of everything.

Terry

Thank you very much for your replies.

I have a peak charger that I use to charge everything from 6 cell matched packs for cars to rechargeable AAs from the transmitter in my RC sail boat, so I have the battery angle covered quite well.

Little bottle to catch fuel...gotcha. I'll rig something up.

As for starter, can't I make a rubber attachment for a cordless drill? Seems to make a lot more sense then carrying around a big fat battery and a 12v starter. I have a 19.2v drill with a low speed torque setting that will start a V8.

Mike

isnt car fuel alot lower oil content? might wanna check that also before you use it.

Cordless drill great idea. Give it a try and let us know how it works.[8D]

Cordless drill idea...will do!

Thanks again.

Mike

depends, can you make one for under $20? (New starters sell for about that) Also, as for fuel, do you have a local hobby shop? it is MUCH cheaper to go there for your fuel instead of ordering.

i don't think it's the torque it's the speed of the starter...mine turns the prop fast enough to feel the air from it...all the torque you need is to get past the compression stroke...

your instructor should have a starter...i'm sure he'll let you use it...as your skills advance you can get one...i think for right now simple is the way to go...it won't be long and you'll be thinking witch plane to get next...

remember,keep it simple to start...who knows you might like the car thing better,then you'll have all that airplane stuff to sell on e-bay, the marketplace

john

Can I make one for 20 bucks? Sure, since I already have the drill for other reasons, I can make one for free.

And you are forgetting about the battery and the charger that you have to buy for a starter...I already have both with the drill.

Torque bad? Speed good? No problem...all drills have a high speed setting and it's very fast.

The only thing I will need is some kind of rubber bung to attach to a screw driver bit to turn the spinner.

As for liking the car thing more...maybe. Racing cars is intense in a way only a highly competetive venture can be. However, I've flown park flyers, and it's an exhilirating feeling (when the wind is not blowing them over some fence I then have to climb). I don't think I'll ever give it up.

may I suggest buying the nylon props, the wooden props get broken very fast when you are learning to land. th enylon ones are more forgiving of tapping the ground

Sullivan sells just the adapter off the end of the starter. If I'm not mistaken it just bolts to the output shaft of their starter, but I don't know if it's keyed or has a flat, or some other method to keep it from spinning. Even if it does, would be simple matter to go to local hardware store and get a bolt and nut, run it through center hold of adapter and just chuck it up in drill. If it has flat you'd need to grind off threads on one side of bolt to fit. You want the largest bolt that will go through the hold without cutting threads. You'd need an insert, of course.

Not like an LA 40 takes a lot to turn it over... mine would almost always hand start except on the coldest days....


Andy

rlipsett I think what you mean are props like APC or Master airscrew. I don't think there made out of nylon anymore. There composite props. They will take a beating just make sure you keep them balanced. I like the APC's. easier to balance for me.

Air Mail RCU has a good tip about extra glow plugs.. If you have a decent local hobby shop in your area, they will have these inexpensive goodies.......
The OS 40LA uses an A3 glow plug. These cost around $3 apiece. When you get your plane, take the prop nut to the hobby store too. Those 4-way wrenches they sell should fit the nut and also the glow plug.
Another handy convenience ($10-$15) is a fueling setup to fuel up directly from the jug. Dubro or Great Planes has a setup by drilling a couple of holes into the jug cap and installing fittings, you pump directly from the jug into the tank. By reverse cranking your hand fuel pump you can also pump unused fuel from the tank back into the jug (closed loop arrangement). No necessity to catch overflow in an extra container when fueling the tank.

One of these days I'm going to get one of those pumps that catch the over flow. Good tip jrpnde.