Okay I know its a stick and I know that it has nothing to do with chickens and everything to do with starting your engine, but what Im wondering is what are they made from and are they just your average stick or do they have an attachment of some type? (Perhaps a chicken attachment even)

And whilst Im on a roll with the stupid questions..........5%..10%..or 15 % Glo fuel, What kind do I want for my plane and why??

Thanks,

Troy.

It is a great hobby don't be afraid to ask these questions. A chicken stick is used to flip the propeller over without having to use your hands or fingers touching the propeller.

Tower hobbies has several you can see they are mostly just a stick with a grip for your hand and an area to contact the prop so you can flip the engine over to start.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1&I=LXA380&P=7


The 5%, 10%, 15% indicator on fuel is how much Nitro it contains. Nitro does a couple of things for glow engines. It enables them to "perform" better, that is allowing higher RPM thus more thrust and power. It also enables them to idle a bit slower and still keep running. Most sport engines run fine on 5%-15% nitro. It is expensive stuff - that is why the more nitro you use the higher the cost of the fuel. Remeber some engines don't like high nitro and some engines demand it. If you use a OS FX or LA type engine start with 10%.

The best way to get started is to find a local hobby shop ask them about fields and go visit. Someone there will help you.

Enjoy!
Mike

Yes, a chicken stick is a stick used for starting an engine. And while some folks will say that it needs to be made out of some high tech materials, basically anything from a broken prop to a screwdriver will work (I use a piece of 1/2" copper plumbing pipe wrapped in duct tape). The term comes from that days when flipping the prop with your fingers was the usual method of starting the engine. After a few cuts, bruises, and stitches, several people got smart and stopped using their fingers and used a stick instead, for which they were labeled "Chicken".

As far as what fuel to use, again, everyone will have their opinion. I say use whichever gives your engine the best overall run (full bore, mid-range, idle). I use Cool Power 15% because I have found that it works very well in ALL of my engines (2 and 4 stroke).

The question should not be "What is a chicken stick made of", rather it should be "What is a chicken stick not made of". The obvious answer is a chicken stick should not be made of living skin and bones.

I use a piece of PVC pipe...works like a charm

Hey Troy...we don't need nitro in Oz...something to do with the air I think. Or maybe the cost

Anyway, I don't bother with it in any of my engines but you could try 5% if you want to.

Thanks everyone for the advice. The only choice of fuel I have to buy does contain Nitro "Downunder" so I have brought 5% anyway.

Troy.

Well guys here in the hot country I tend to use a 10 percent, but when it gets down under 60` I will go to 15 because it runs hotter and when the temp get over 105 I start using 5 percent but I am from old school and that what we used to do way back when

This is a chicken stick.......

LOL

Now THAT'S a chickenstick!

I am actually making a new chicken stick from a chicken foot. It took a while to find one I thought big enough.

A chicken stick is something that I have found to be useless on starting a 20 yr old Enya .60 engine.

Cheers, LEDZ

I spent an hour in the hot sun one summer day trying to use a chicken stick. I bought an electric starter the next day.

The above answers , answer ur question .

Do not buy the Chicken Stick .

U can make one in the house .

Use an old propeller or toothbrush wrap aroudn a piece of foam & tighten with masking tape , till it becomes tight & thick . Wrap only half the tootbrush or prop .

I have done that , No probs.

Cheers.

Arjun

Hi troyp,

My advise to you is always think safety first as r/c can be very dangerous if you start to take things for granted. As you progress in the hobby, you would probably acquire larger capacity engines and the electric starter's benefit will be more obvious. The logic for going for the chicken stick is not because you can make one yourself, but because of safety issues. Go get a good and reliable starter like Sullivans which will last you forever. As such, the depreciation cost is very very low and is definitely worth it. Very often I find myself stinging on things and ending up buying something more expensive later because the cheaper stuff failed. So why not do the right thing the first time around? Good luck............

Rather than putting money into the Hobby straight away try the chicken then if u in hobby invest in the starter .

If not u have saved money for Beer .

Regards.

Arjun