krashkart

My Feedback: (5)

I have noted as a newbie (again) that some of the people at the fields don't use an electric starter on their motors and just flip start them.
I can remember doing this by hand or with a stick in the 50-60s doing U Control and in my early days of RC in the 70s and I thinkI still have some scars too.
I am looking at an 80 class 4 stroke.
I will assume an electric starter is a good idea? And If so I assume that one of the typical $30 starters would be OK for that sized engine?

MajorTomski

Yes and Yes

Dr1Driver

Electric starters are a great thing, especially for those hard-to-start engines. Fortunately, most of my engines will flip start with a chicken stick. Never, NEVER, NEVER flip start an engine with your bare fingers!!! Use whichever is most convenient for you. Your basic Tower Hobbies-type starter will crank anything up to a .90 4 stroke. Make sure your battery is kept well-charged.

krashkart

My Feedback: (5)

OK, so I guess it depends on the motor and such but overall it's a necessity rather than a convenience.
Thanks.

mclina

In my experience, guys who go to the field without electric starters end up borrowing them from the guys who bring them.

Dsegal

After learning to fly RC in electrics many years I decided to try my first glow power plane. And the sound advice I got from the clerk in the hobby shop was: "Life is too short not to use an electric starter".

orangehat44

My Feedback: (1)

I usually try to flip mine with a chicken stick once or twice, but if that dont do it I go to the starter. For me theres a strange sense of pride when the engine flips over by hand. It seems with finiky carburated engines it takes a perfect tune and amount of gas primed to flip em by hand. So when they fire up with the chicken stick I feel Ive done it all right, but Im not going to was my afternoon flipping. And Like stated some engines are just a bear to flip by hand. My friends got some magnum 4 strokes that are tuned beautifully but just wont start by hand, but a quick blip from the starter to get em to that 50-100 rpms and they'll fire right up. dont think you can go wrong with one.

ameyam

When I started in the hobby in the late 90s, they were still using CI engines... you know, the ones on the control line airplanes where you flip the prop while closing the head screw till it starts?

Having done that, my technique for starting engine by hand flipping is good. In fact I never even used a chicken stick or starter for the first 1.5years of RC flying and never got a knuckle rap (I have been flying for 3 years now). You wont get cuts if you are using a 40 or 50 class engine provided the engine is vertical, throttle is set properly, the trailing edge of the prop has been de-burred and you use the correct technique (the biggest one I started was a 61FX on a trainer).

But last year I tried to start a inverted 75AX by hand and got a nasty cut when it back-fired. That was the end of that. Now I use a chicken stick even of a 55AX. I value my fingers more now. I flip it a few times with the stick and if it doesnt start, use a starter. As I dont have a vehicle yet, I cant carry my starter to the field, I usually get a starter (and a lift) from someone else. Note that my instructor still uses his fingers even on the 120 sizers without any cuts; he doesnt even wait till it stops turning after a flick if the engine has not fired...guess some people know what is happening a lot better and faster.

In conclusion, atleast get a chicken stick

Ameyam

jeffie8696

I am of the same mind as the Orange. I however use a heavy leather glove and flip mine by hand. Sometimes I get one that is just a little stubborn and Ihave to break out the starter but to me its almost an admission of failure on my engine tuning skills.

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

I seldom use my starter on glow engines. If you know how to prime it and feel for the bump, most starts are 1 flip or a back snap on the spinner.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

I started running  model engines 50 years ago and hand started everything. Now I carry 2 starters to the field all the time. One for my own use and one for all the people who come to me saying " I don't know whats wrong. It ALWAYS starts in one or two flips of the prop. But today something is wrong." I lend them a starter and whatever was wrong magically disappears. I'm not saying you can't hand start, I certainly can, but do you want to spend your time flipping and fiddling or Flying?

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

I hate to say this, but after the initial start of the day, when I will probably use the electric starter, the OS's start up with a single flip of the prop with a chicken stick.

And, even a cold engine starts right up as though I didn't need an electric starter, but I use one anyway.

However, I do believe that this is a good tool because even the best of engines will occasionally get cranky and just be a real PITA with hand starting but will start with the electric starter.

CGr.

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

I own an electric starter, but haven't used it in years....except in the dead of winter.

I flip (using a chicken stick) all motors up to 1.08 2-stroke and 1.00 4-stroke.

TedMo

I just csn't help but ask? How many of you start your car by cranking? Why bother if there's an easier way? I'll admit I do flip start on occassion but not usually. Actually with a cowled engine in order to get fuel to carb it's often necassary to turn engine over with starter with throttle open minus glow battery then flip or use starter after closing throttle. Sometimes it also helps to cover end of muffler to draw fuel. Whatever works do it. I would not be without starter though.

opjose

If you are in the market for a starter, spend the extra few dollars for a heavy duty unit.

These will server you well, and you will not later regret not having paid the extra few dollars for one.

Also bear in mind the size of the spinner and starter cone you use.

On a larger plane and larger engine, having a larger starter cone helps the starter grip the larger spinners far better.

It also permits the starter to exert a higher lever moment on the engine, letting it turn the engine over.

I can turn over 26cc planes and up with a simple Hobbico high torque starter, using a large starter cone.

That same cone serves me down to planes in the .46 range as well. The only thing it cannot tackle in the smaller sizes are prop nuts ( for which there is a specialty cone for ) and fairly small spinners.

You can also add batteries directly to the starter later, making it completely portable and far easier to use.


A well tuned and warmed up engine can often easily be hand started.

The electric starters SHINE when neither condition is met.

All too often I'm asked for mine, whenever someone is having problems getting their engine started... it saves a lot of grief and cranking by hand.

bassmanh

My Feedback: (5)

hmm,

seems to me theres another very good reason to use a starter..... the safety aspect of it, while flipping works well a starter helps to keep hands and fingers away if theres a slip or a back fire.

i use the starter and hand flip some all depends on the engines temperment




bass

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Yes and no, I have one, use it most the time but I also back snap my engines. Starters are something I got into a habit with. Required no, nice to have yes. If I'm using a starter I don't bother choking an engine.

LouisB

The moment my glow plug is powered up, my respect for the engine increases many times and I use an electric starter, irrespective. Our field is rather far from any towns with serious medical facilities.

I have a clip from our national telly where an instructor used his thumb and index finger to spin the spinner over in order to fire the engine up. The clip was aimed at attracting beginners to the hobby. Not a good "lead by example" clip IMHO.

God willing, I would like to leave my earthly life behind with all the bits and pieces I was born with.

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

It is nice to have a starter if Ineed it. But I generally never need it. Most engines will start with just a flip or two, or three, or four. At least they should.

tonyob

I use a starter for my four strokes but have no problem "hand" starting my OS .46 2 strokes. Just a quick flick on the spinner in the opposite direction and it takes off without hesitation.

I've been trying to start the four stroke with a chicken stick but haven't yet got the knack of it.

If you can afford an electric starter, go for it. If you are a bit tight on funds, I don't consider it essential.

Where we fly we have a staging area to start our planes and then we taxi a reasonable distance to the runway. At the runway there are restraints for starting if your engine dies while taxiing, but it is a pain to have to go back to the staging area for your starter so having the ability to flip / chicken stick / hand start does have it's advantages. Even if you don't do it that way often.

Phoenixangel

I like my starter, but the guys are right it is a good feeling to backflip an engine and have it start instantly. One thing tho batteries and electric starters do fail, I think it is a good idea to always have a chicken stick.

I have seen first hand what a "slap" of one of these props can do and my brother is still missing those finger tips.....

Jim Thomerson

I generally hand start (nothing bigger than 40 at the moment), but I use a heavy leather glove. I have had a few engines which I was willing to start bare handed, but those were engines I knew very well. I have a starter, but seldom use it. When the glove eventually wears out and is retired, it is instructive to look at the cuts, slashes and scrapes on it which never made it to my delicate fingers.

MetallicaJunkie

i generally use a starter most of my glow planes.... i have a few motors that start easily with just giving the spinner a lil twist and it starts off the bump of compression once they are primed

gas motors i find the easiest to hand start

cfircav8r

My Feedback: (1)

I generally use the finger snap on the spinner for my K&B .61 all others its a chicken stick and starter as a last resort. I Believe there is more wear and tear on the engine with a starter, because you are forcing the prop back plate into the case causing wear. Yes it is minimal, however anything I can do to get them to last longer. Hand starting is only unsafe if you use poor techinques or get too complacent. I've safely hand propped everything from a Cox .049 to a Lycoming O360 and still have all my orignal bits and pieces.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I think you are talking about back snapping the spinner. It's really a lot safer then it looks, no fingers are on the prop at all. Just choke, ignite and snap. If you would go to the kit building forum then open up the thread on the Up-Roar build Rick just posted a video of him starting one of his engines doing the back snap, it's on the last page. I hand start my big gas engines and even with a leather glove they could still do some finger damage. There is a safe way to do everything if you know how. Four strokes back snap better then prop flipping, the back fire spins the prop forward. I use a spring starter on my G-62 even that can be messed up. Ask me how I know that!! I now use my leather glove when starting that. Go check out Ricks video!!