?? chicken stick ??
 

can anyone tell me what a chicken stick is, i know it's for starting
an aircraft engine but what dose it do & how do you use it? :confused:

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It's anything (other than your finger) that is used to flip start your engine. most people just use a piece of wooden dowel rod.

?? chicken stick ??
 

I new too, but I would guess it is called that because you are chicken not to use your finger, so chicken stick???

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does that do any damage to prop?

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If it is padded with plastic or rubber then you will be fine. I made a large chicken stick out of some PVC, covered with PVC insulation. I found that my large plastic props were cutting the insulation, so I wrapped with with Duct Tape and it has worked great ever since.

?? chicken stick ??
 

Master Airscrews make good chicken sticks.

?? chicken stick ??
 

If you don't want to ue a chicken stick, use an welding glove. You need to protect your fingers and hand.

?? chicken stick ??
 

Duct Tape Application # 9,678,452,324 "Chicken Stick" has been logged, right behind "Bio hazard window defence treatment".

?? chicken stick ??
 

Hi mobil_racer

You should check out the RC Humor
room Here a sample of a chicken stick
lolllll

Take care the old guy

Chicken Stick??
 

I prefer the term "Smart Stick"

'cause your a moron if you use your bare fingers to start any internal combustion engine.

IMHO

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Piece of wooden dowel wrapped with electrical tape. When the tape starts falling off because it's getting cut to shreds...... re-wrap with new tape and keep on flippin!!!!!


Why buy when you can build with scrap from your shop???

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Yes, the term "Chicken Stick" DOES derive from the days when men were men and fingers were missing. Only a "Sissy" wouldn't use his fingers to start a prop.

Fortunately, common sense finally prevailed.

Rcpilet is correct... "SMART stick" is what it SHOULD be called.

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So did the guy with the shoe get the engine started?

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Is that what you call a "running start"?

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I just havnt figured out why he took the shoe OFF!?

?? chicken stick ??
 

Car heater hose on dowel. You still get buzz with welder gloves . Take foot from shoe.

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It's obvious from some of the comments here that some modellers haven't got the first idea how to hand start an engine. Fair enough, they've been brought up only knowing electric starters but when the battery goes flat what can you do? Well, you can't touch a prop with your hand so give it a whack with a stick (or a shoe :D ).

But strangely, this attitude is limited to RC fliers who have engines that at idle put out about as much HP as a .049! Seriously! On the other hand (and with all fingers intact :) ) CL fliers will happily hand start piped .60's which naturally only run at full throttle.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with either electric starters or chicken sticks but if you've got half a clue how to start an engine then even by hand it's quite safe. The REAL danger is putting your hand through the prop once the engine is running.

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This not a joke . If a motor back fires and you have a finger in the prop you are possibly going to get stiches. We like to joke some times but most jokes are a truth time tested and proven . Hope you do nodt learn the hard way .Been doing this fo 55 years and still not to old to learn. Good Luck.

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I've found that the cheap $3 hobbico chicken stick works great.
http://www2.gpmd.com/image/h/hcap3335.jpg

It's end is made of hard rubber that will not tear up a prop, yet at the same time has enough stiffness to turn over an engine.

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Yes, and if you are a good driver, you don't really "need" a seat belt. And as long as you're careful, why bother with a smoke detector in your home? And what's with those damn football helmets?

Last week, I was tightening a prop on a Saito 150 in my basement. After it was tight, i spun it through it's compression stroke. No fuel, no glow, I simply turned it over. Once it got past TDC, the prop flipped over and whacked the back of my finger so hard I thought it broke it. All I could think of was "I'm glad that didn't happen outside in the cold". I have been starting engines for over 40 years, I was hit by a prop once as a teenager (and you're right, it WASN'T while starting). You'd think I would know better, but it boils down to this:

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN!

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Darn Bug :D :D

Joe Ortiz
 

It was bad plane
not listen to master
and bit back
lollllllllll

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forty years ago when garden hoses were made of rubber, the 12
inch sections of what was left after driving over the conectors
made great chicken sticks. The rubber was stiffer than current vinyl and had much thicker walls. with a search you can probably
find some and have a lifetime supply for free.

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our own Marc (RCAdmin) was flipping his new 4-stroke for his ultimate (see review) with a chicken stick... well he flipped and it kicked back hard enough to snap the chicken stick in half and fling the padding 20 feet.

imagine. if that were his fingers he would have a hard time keeping this site up and running.

chicken sticks are a Good Thing(tm)

oh.. if I flip start I find broken wood props work pretty good.

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If you don't know what "chicken stick" is by now you'll finger it out later.

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How about simply using the spinner to give the prop a quick back flip causing it to backfire, reverse direction, and start. I'm curious how common that is.

No fingers in the prop disc and no chicken stick. After a bit of practice I've found it easier than using a chicken stick and/or an electric starter. The trick is to slightly over prime the engine.

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Jim,
I've heard about that trick, but I've only seen one guy who could make it work. If it works for you, go for it. I do think your fingers are a tad close to the prop, so I won't be trying it, but that's just me.

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I don't find my fingers are at risk. In some respects, I find it safer than the chicken stick and an electric starter because with the stick/starter you have to hold plane while flipping so that the force of turning the engine over doesn't move the plane at the same time. That means having one hand behind the engine holding the fuse, while the other flips the prop. With the spinner flip, you're completely in front of the plane (plane is restrained at rear). I suppose someone else holding the plane would resolve that.

The one risk I have noticed is that you might think it hasn't started and reach back to do it again, then it fires up full boar. So, I just always pull my hand and back and pause, whether I think it started or didn't. This is because it seems to hesistate a bit due to the overprime required to get it to work.

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And if you've ever tried to finger start an endine with a brand new APC prop that the owner didn't sand the trailing edge down . . . Ginsued piddies.

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Actually, that is when I do use my chick stick - to prime the engine when the prop is APC :) Then I stick in my back pocket and back flip the spinner.

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I've never had any luck backflipping a spinner. In fact I tried it last week with my Saito 100. No go. I just use an electric starter.

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Your comment about having to reach over the prop to hold while using an electric starter is a good one. Funny thing is, I usually feel safer doing it that way myself than having someone else holding. Though I like someone holding after it's started so I can get up and move around behind to get the needle valve. (I never ever needle from the front, even RNV and 4-strokes) Most of my planes don't have wheels, so I have a starting stand that helps too.

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Chicken sticks, electric starters, fingers, or shoes . . . finding the safest way to start an engine is academic if you forget to tighten the prop nut; no matter how you start the engine, the prop is still going to get you if you are standing in front of it! Trust me, I have a ripped shirt to prove it.

And in case you are wondering, the only time my fingers touch the prop is when the glow plug has been removed and I'm putting in some after-run oil.

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Ditto on the garden hose (rubber, not vinyl)

You can buy it by the foot at home depot; either black garden hose (which marks the prop) or red "air hose" with 1/2 " ID, insert a dowel and cut to size.

They end up costing about $1-$3 and you can make a bunch for flying buddies at the same time. Have them buy the donuts :)

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I have seen in MAN that you can use the end of a golf club by cutting it off below the grip if you want to use the chicken stick method. However, I have scars around my index finger of my right hand from 19 stitches after I tangled with a prop. Elctric Starter with battery and no wires is what I use. I will give up my starter when someone else starts my engines.

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I must be realy stupid.. and I have no cuts on my finger ( yet ) and have no chicken stick.

My trusted motors all start with a back flip from the spinner. I also have a bad habbit, that if a motor starts the worng way , overprive a new , unknown motor and it backfires and keep running, I will put my thumb on the prop nut or thumb and index finger on the spinner at a low idle to reverse the stroke

and look ma all fingers and no cuts,

I also shaw some one with a heli that cut the power walk to the blades to put his hand on the top of the blades to stop it from turning and the tip of the blade wacked open his knee

but please dont do what. it might be just me

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LOL. You'll get it sooner or later. Probably when you least expect it. ;)

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Back flip from spinner works well, especially if you are swinging a larger prop that will give more inertia to bring up the compression. The engine needs to be pretty wet for it to work though.

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Hand flipping reduces the cost and weight of your flight-line equipment. All you need is fuel, pump (manual), Ni-Starter and your choice of hand-flipping (glove, chicken stick, garden hose, shoe...).

For all you back-flippers - don't bother trying that with a gasoline powered engine... I doubt it'll work, especially with a magneto ignition.

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Being from the 'Old School'....I have to catch myself because I'll hand start about all my engines if I'm not firmly reminded to use my 'Chicken Stick' (Large one from Davis Diesel'.

of course if my Moki 1.8 doesn't start in two or three flips, I send it back for repairs :-)

and yes, sometimes an engine will backfire - and some engines (my Magnum .91XL) CANNOT be started with your finger - at least all the marks on my chicken stick indicate!

Ya gotta know your engine......a starter (electric) is still the safest - an it only costs 1/2 the ER charges for Stitches!!!

Jerry