True pearls of wisdom by a nub, thank you for sharing that!! The back snap is a very good way to start an engine, I do it most the time during the warm weather but my engines tend to start a bit harder come cool weather, then I use a starter. I was tuning a .46 AX for a fellow today and I back snapped it and it fired up backwards, the snap didn't amaze him as much as when I blipped the throttle and the engine caughed a little and started running the correct way. {Engine was real lean!!} It was a day for sharing tips. Four strokes usually will snap start as well or better then a two stroke but they need to be choked or primed correctly. Trick or tip for Joe. A YS will give you a squishy squishy sound when it is ready to get a back snap start, once heard never forgotten!!!

EASY THERE PARDNER With a large spinner his fingers are no closer to the prop than with a stick. BUT Speaking softly AND CARRYING A BIG STICK is sound advice.

Hi all,
Teach the new guys to tune well and break in the engine properly before doing back compression starting. Keep thier hands AWAY from the prop as much as possible.
Us old codgers are comfortable around motors but we may be forgeting how nervous the newbies are.
This is not a good idea for a jittery student. I remember my instructor doing this to demonstrate how easy a well tuned motor starts.
But I was instructed to stick with the starter or stick. I am also our club's safety officer and a registered nurse. I usually get to take the wounded to the ER.....I would rather fly

Agreed. Us old codgers (yeah, I'm one of them ) know how safe and easy it is because we learned how to do it long before electric starters or even chicken sticks came onto the scene. I'd never tell someone new to the game to hand start but I'll teach them how to do it like I did for my son. I showed him how to do it safely then made him practise the movement for about 10 minutes until I was satisfied it was becoming automatic. Then I taught him how to prime properly and what to listen and feel for to know the engine was ready to start. Only then did I let him connect the glow power and in one flick it was off and running. The look on his face was a delight to see . This was with an Enya 80X BTW.

Thanks Gene! You're cut and pasted on my Troy Newman guide to tuning a 110

That's too funny Joe. The back snap starting?? It's nothing I teach any of my students, never have, never will. I do show them how to finger start an engine and how to keep there fingers away from the prop, it's sort of a lost art but the old farts will recall sitting in front of there 1/2A control line planes flipping away, maybe a free flight?? While I'm showing them that I am also handing them a chicken stick I made up for them and telling them to use it. When someone sees me back snap an engine and asks me to show them how that's the time I will show them. People see it done and they freak out about it thinking some of my parts are going to be removed!!! {As posted!!} Truth is your fingers are quite a ways away from the cutting edge of anything. I can't back snap my Kaos with the OS .91 in it, the spinner is only 1 1/4 inch and most of it has been cut for the prop so the spinner itself is a cutting edge.