I am getting a new trainer with a O.S 46 LA motor. do i really need a starter or will a chicken stick work.. and this may sound dumb , but witch way do you spin the prop to start the engine? this is my first plane and I know nothing about the hobby but I'll reading alot in here and learning.

I would strongly recommend purchasing a good starter. They aren't very expensive and will last years. When looking at the airplane from the front you should spin the prop counter-clockwise. I also strongly recommend finding a club in your area for instruction. I instruct for a local R/C club, and I've never come across a student that didn't need his airplane saved from crashing while learning.

Good luck and have fun!

get a chicken stick and just forget that they make starters.. i always use a chicken stick, i hate the marks a starter puts in the pretty spinner.. you will take your chicken stick and flip it counter clock wise ( with the prop straight up and down flip the top to the left) get a chicken stick and go fly!!

I tryed a chicken stick once, and it worked after lots of trys, for a beginner that has no experience with an untuned engine it would be very unlikely. I would recomend a electric starter, your gonna love yourself for buying one. As for the propeller direction, from the front of the plane it spins counterclockwise. Will you have an instructor (highly recomended)?

Austin

nathan king you beat me by a couple minutes! anyway, good luck.. i will agree that you should get an instructor, that is the cheapest way and the least discouraging way as well!

IMO, an engine that was broken in properly and setup correctly will only need a few flips to start by hand.

the chicken sticks works i used one for a while the first start of the day is a little hard but after it warm 2 or 3 flips and your golden.

also put your engine in the decompersion cycle you should be albe to move the piston up and down easy. mount you prop level with the ground. this wya when you dead stick in grass you dont have to worry about catchin that prop

Just get a chicken stick. Your instructor will have a starter you can borrow in case the engine gets tempermental.

I hate to contradict Minnflyer, however, my recommendation is to get an electric starter.


Or, mount the engine in a test stand and become thoroughly proficient starting it using a chicken stick before turning up at the flying field.

I'm still in the novice stage and it's a nerve racking experience to turn up at the flying field with a brand new plane, new engine, and new transmitter and know very little about any of it.

Learning to fly is hard enough without struggling to start the engine.

Bye, Ian

An OS .46 is probably one of the easiest engines to start with a chicken stick. Always have the throttle at idle or a fast idle while starting, never wide open or even half ways open. Not only is it safer but it actually makes the engines easier to start.

I have never bought a starter since I started flying in 1990.Yes sometimes I borrowed one when I had a cranky motor
With a full tank,either dribble some fuel into the carb,or plug the carb intake with your finger,with the throttle wide open and turn it counterclockwise until fuel draws into the engine.
THIS IS TO BE DONE WITHOUT THE GLOWDRIVER IN PLACE
Then make sure the throttle stick is at idle and look at the carb barrel to make sure it is nearly closed (many have reversed the servo by mistake)
Attach the igniter and flip the engine.Dont bang on the prop,follow through with the swing.It is advisable that someone hold the plane,have it tied down or have proper stakes against the stab.Approach the aircraft from the rear to remove the igniter,dont reach around the prop to get it,its a stupid habit.
I am asuming you will fly at a club,with instructor,or you know how to fly.If you try to solo on your own,you will crash and a starter is the least of your worries then.
Good luck

I have this same engine on a Four Star, and I love it. The LA series engines get a lot of flak for being low powered, but my LA .46 is the most dependable engine I have. It is my only engine that I can start and fly immediately without messing with the needle valves.

I always start mine with an electric starter, but once it's warm, it starts on the first flip with a stick. I always flip clockwise with the stick, and it fires on the rebound and runs counterclockwise.

if you borrow something more than twice you need it.....this is a hobby..supposed to be fun...starters make starting easier...easier is less frustrating..less frustrating is fun.....
do you have to have, can't live without it, have to have, a starter? no I recommended one though

Interesting observation:

Put an old engine and prop on the hobby shop counter. Whenever someone walks by see if they pick it up and what they do with it.

If they avoid it like it is a pile of doo, they are likely an electric flyer.

If they pick it up and look at it, they are an "electric starter" type flyer.

If they pick it up and can't stop flipping the prop, they are a "flipper".


I'm a flipper! I have a starter but never use it, don't even take it to the field. I sometimes use it when breaking in a new motor. If I have an engine that won't start with a flip or two, time to sell it!

Are you a flipper?

I'm a flipper and a starter, depending on the engine, the temperature, and my mood. I'll always try hand starting first. If the engine won't start within 5-10 flips, I'll break out the electric starter. For my Magnum 91 FS, the way the engine is mounted makes priming difficult, so I usually just go right to the electric starter for the first start. After that, hand starting usually works well.

My very first experience starting an engine was an LA 46, and I managed to get it started without assistance. These engines come from the factory with the high speed needle set VERY rich, about 3 turns out. What worked well was to get it primed, and then start flipping. Every 3-4 flips, turn the high speed needle in about 1/4 turn. Don't go in more than 1 1/2 turns. You'll eventually hit the point where it will kick over and start. Then follow the manual for break in and getting the needle set. After that, you're golden.

Brad

I'm a starter

Austin

I like to use a chicken stick whenever I can, but I'd have to recommend a starter. I have helped a lot of people with OS .46 LAs and own one myself. They are reliable (other than some issues with the plastic backplate), not too difficult to start and can provide adequate power with the baffle removed from the muffler.

That said, in my experience with at least a half dozen LAs, they are not easy to flip start when cold, particularly when not fully broken in. Another important point is that, when mounted in an ARF trainer, the needle valve is often not exactly where it should be in relationship to the tank center. I say get a starter, you'll want one eventually anyway.

i'm a flipper

I'm both - I still have my first chicken stick after 20+ years of doing this. Just a note - my chicken stick was part of an broom handle that is longer than the "facroy" made stick. I have worn grooves in it, but I expect another 10-15 years before I have to replace it.

That's nothing but user error.

Either the material you have in the starter cone is too abrasive, or it's too dirty and full of debris.

I had the same problem initially until I changed my cones out for ones made of a silicon formulation.

My electric starter now does LESS scratching damage than a chicken stick. ( It never hits or nicks the prop on kickback... ) It leaves NO marks what-so-ever.

Much, much easier on cowled engines too, which even after priming, frequently require a few seconds of turning to get the tank pressure up and the fuel flowing properly.


As stated one starter will last a LONG time, so invest in a heavy duty one to deal with your expanding fleet. You'll be glad you did.

I do both, when I started they didn't have starters. After the first start of the day I can usually start just by flipping it backwards against compression.

Some of you won't understand this, so find someone that does to explain it to you. " The best thing that ever happened to Mc Coy engines -- was Sullivan ( starters ). " ENJOY !!! RED

I use an electric starter, its saver, and easier.