Hi am just getting into gasoline engines and I was woundering about the diffrences between the coil ignition engines and the electric ignitions. I heard you can flip start electric ignitions but for the coil you have to use a starter. Is this true? Thanks in advance guys!

You can flip start a magneto engine.

If your arm looks like this.[sm=lol.gif]

IMHO--no reason to use a magneto engine unless you:
A) need nose weight
B) fly warturds and ^^^^ need nose weight

See my signature below.

lol,
ok so im guessing you cant flip start magneto engines then right?
If thats true you guys have any recomendations for an electric igntion for a 50CC gas engine, Also is a starter cheaper?

Yes, you can flip start a mag. engine. How hard it is depends on the engine. Some can be a real pain. I have a Zenoah G38 that flip starts pretty easy. I would try CH Ignitions for EI.

Most of the giant gas aircraft fliers at our field (and others) have engines that employ electronic ignition systems. No one is using a starter. They just flip them over a few times and the engine comes to life. The engine manufacturers range from Desert Aircraft to Moki.

I have both, here's the difference. Magneto engines require learning the technique to hand start. Prop position is most important. Electronic ignition is not so picky. Most people will not take the time to learn the starting technique for a magneto engine and use a starter. My
g-62 will start in three flips just like the EI engines if it is properly primed. I can flip start most magneto engines using the same technique.
Magneto engines are heavier, but when you add in the extra weight of the batteries and wiring EI engines lose some of their advantage.
EI engines idle slightly smoother but power is exactly the same. I fly warbirds and almost always need the nose weight so there is an advantage to using the magneto engine. The logic of endless worry about the weight of the engine and then having to add nose weight to balance escapes me. Magneto engines are cheaper. I don't worry about rf and the placement of the radio nearly as much with magneto engines. No extra parts to go bad like batteries and switches. I guess it boils down to the argument of simplicity vs newer technology.
Of course I am comparing the same engine with or without EI, Not a G-38 against a DA-50.

Larry

Thanks alot for the help larry. So you think you could clue me in on how to correctly flip start a mag engine?

Depending on which magneto equipped engine you buy there maybe a spring starter available for it. I had a Quadra 42 with a magneto and a spring starter for a number of years and it was easier to start than any of the 5 or so electronic ignition engines I've had. There is also what they call a "jump start" ( think so ) available for some magneto engines. The smoother idle of the electronic ignitions is what I like, other than that the magneto ones are just fine.

I spent an afternoon out at the Pueblo field trying to flip start a G-62 on magneto. Bill was there and helped hold the plane. He can attest to the difficulty I had. I did manage to get it started about 10 times, but it must have taken 40 flips to get it started each time. It was a brand new engine and had never been tuned for our elevation. It was terribly rich on the low and high speed needles. I was starting it and running it up. Then I'd shut it down and make an adjustment on the high speed needle to lean a bit. Then start it again and run it up. "Not yet," and shut it down to lean a bit more. I like to go slow when adjusting the needles on a gas engine.

It took me a good 25-40 flips to get it started each time. I had the prop lined up with the cutouts in the hub and was flipping well before the magnets go past the coil--trying to get maximum speed on my flipping.

I went home with a sore shoulder and bolted a C&H ignition on that very night. I had it lying around, but decided to see if I could do without it. That was dumb.

I'll never run a gas engine without electronic ignition again. Call me a whimp. Call me stupid if ya want. I ain't doing it. Never again.

Well now I wore myself out trying to start by new ZDZ 80 before it was dialed in. Proper adjustment and starting sequence allow starting a mag engine without much problem.

I spent $100 on a Miller persuader about 6 years ago. It makes short work of a balky mag engine.
Before I bought that I used to carry a small bottle of model diesel fuel. A squirt of that in the exhaust would help because diesel fuel fires on compression only and don't need a spark.

RC, I am with you. After putting a CH ignition on my G26 you couldn't pay me enough to go back to mag ignition. It wasn't all that hard to start on mag but it does start easier with the CDI and the way it idles is much better, smoother, and lower. I still carry the DynaTron to the field but almost never take it out. My way of looking at it, you are supposed to work smarter when old, not harder.

The prop placement is most important. Take a G-62 for instance. The instructions say to put the prop across the two cutouts in the hub.
This puts it so that with the prop in the 9:00/3:00 position (straight across) the magnets in the flywheel are just starting to come up to the magneto pickup. This is not top dead center and you will not feel compression like you will in a two stroke engine. I prime my engines with a prime bottle just like a two stroke, saves a lot of time choking the carb and drawing in enough fuel. Gas engines like to be wet to start and sometimes it's hard to get them wet enough without priming. I open the throttle fully and squirt in a good prime. Turn the engine over slowly a couple of times to distribute the prime. Close the throttle to about 1/3 and grab the prop at the 3:00 position, I rock it back slightly and throw it through compression. You will not feel the compression coming up like a two stroke. I think this is where most people have trouble with starting a gas engine. They bring the prop up to compression and then flip it. By then the magnets have already gone past the magneto, NO SPARK. Usually within 3 flips the engine is up and running, it depends on the amount of prime. It literally is all in the wrist. The secret is in the position of the prop. If you don't have it set right you'll wear your arm out and not get a pop from the engine.

Larry