Hi, my name is daniel, and I live in Austin, Texas. I'm new to RC flying, rebuilding a plane that my dad bought and crashed when I was a kid, and I just joined to learn and get help with a few things.

I have the plane pretty much ready to go, and I've broken in the engine and done a ground test. During the ground test I ran into a railroad tie in a parking lot at low speed and it messed the wooden propeller up pretty bad but there was no other noticeable damage. So, I replaced the propeller and tried to start it up today for my first flight.

I was getting frustrated with the chicken stick so i rigged up a homemade electric starter, and was able to start it up pretty quickly. It died a few times, then finally it was running smooth for a while so I ran it stationary for a few minutes, just making sure all the settings were right. But, then when i removed the battery cable from the glow plug the engine died. I've read some things that say this means a bad/intermittently working glow plug, but it's a new plug so it seems kind of strange.

Is that it? Are there any other possibilities? Any chance that the engine was damaged when the propeller got stopped by the railroad tie? Any help will be much appreciated, thanks

Daniel

I have one very important recommendation for you: Please find an experienced modeler to help you! There are many things that should be checked before a plane is put in the sky, both for the sake of the plane and most importantly for the safety of people on the ground.

That being said, an engine that runs with power to the glow plug, but dies when you remove the power, is probably adjusted too rich on the needle. If you carefully screw the needle in (clockwise) until it GENTLY hits bottom, then turn it back out 2 turns, you will be in the ballpark for most engines. Again, an experienced modeler could make this easy! The proper proceedure is to start the engine, using your glow driver and about one quarter throttle, and then in a few seconds going to full throttle. This is where you adjust your needle, noplace else! As you turn the needle out, the engine will receive more fuel and so run richer. As you turn the needle in, it runs leaner (less fuel). Your goal is to find the spot where the engine runs at its fastest RPM by turning that needle, and then turn it counter clockwise (out) about one quarter turn from that fastest setting. The engine will be running rich, but probably fine for a trainer plane. At this point, you should be able to remove the glow driver and the engine will still run. If it still dies, then you probably do have a bad glow plug.

After you get your engine properly adjusted, you will normally be able to remove the glow driver as soon as the engine starts.

There is another proceedure for adjusting the idle and low speed mixture, but one thing at a time!

Good luck!

Sandy T.

There are several RC clubs in the Austin area. Take a Look at the District XIII website within the AMA website. You can check with Discount Hobbies in Georgetown, on I 35 North just past the Candle Factory, or the Hobby Town next to the Target store at Lamar and Ben White for information on local clubs. It will really be good if you can get experienced help.

Danial,
Where in Austin do you live? There are at least 3 clubs close to you. In south Austin on Slaughter Ln is Hill Country Modelers, north east out by the Exposition Center on Decker Ln is Austin RC. Both of those clubs have paved runways. Further north in Round Rock is Lone Star Aeronauts in Old Settlers Park, they have a grass runway. Let me know and I can get you in touch with someone. You really need to learn to fly with an instructor at one of those clubs. There are a lot of instructors in this area that would be glad to help, and there is no charge. You just have to join the AMA and join the club. If you are under 18 most of the clubs dues should be less than $5 a year and AMA is pretty cheap for juniors also. So there really is no excuse. My home email is [email protected] if you're serious. I used to instruct but my home field in Georgetown moved to far away for me to teach on a regular basis anymore. The Austin club is going to be my home field pretty soon and I may be able to help you there in a month or so.
Edwin

Here's the link to the club locator on the AMA web site
http://www.ama-dist-8.org/Clubs/Locator.php

If you're not able to coordinate something with Edwin, use the club locator to find local help. You will find a lot of the email addresses are out of date. If there is a phone number listed, use it. If the club has a web site, get as much info from it as you can. Again, if a phone number is available, use it. A lot of people don't spend much time doing email. The email address on our club web site goes to my brother. He's on vacation in Wyoming for a week with no computer access. If anything comes in while he's gone it will be a while before he can reply.

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There are fairly regular postings on RCU that go something like this:
"How do I get started?"
"Contact a local club. Here's a link to the AMA club finder"
"Well, I emailed xxx club yesterday. It has been 24 hours and no reply. Why are clubs so unresponsive?"
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Very unlikely. Wooden props sometimes break if they hit a weed. You'll probably find that you like the somewhat flexible black nylon Master Aircrew props best while you're learning to fly. They bend rather than break on minor impacts. Since they do flex they may be less efficient than other props but your wallet will thank you. Once you get to the point the prop is not hitting the ground, or other objects, you can switch back to the stiff, efficient, props.

how many days between the railroad tie incident and when you replaced the prop? If you didn't empty the fuel from the tank you've probably got some condensation in it. Try some fresh fuel.

Daniel,


You can get a lot of good advice here, but some things cannot be accomplished using just written words, as others wrote.
You would be better off getting some hands-on help, after befriending some more experienced club members in your area.

Learning to fly, without some simulator time, is nearly impossible without hands-on help.

There are free simulators from some prominent entities, that don't cost an-arm-and-a-leg, that you can download for free and use your own transmitter to fly. Aerofly and GWS are a couple.

You would need to fabricate, or buy an interface, to connect your Tx to the USB, serial, or parallel port of your PC.

Also, since this is the 'Glow Engines' forum, if you can tell us exactly what engine you have (manufacturer, model, cylinder type, Etc..), we can guide you on break-in and adjustment issues.

It is not as clear as it looks, but the right guidance will make it a lot of fun in the near future.

Daniel,
All the advice you have received here is excellent. The single most important thing in RC flying is safety and you cannot fly safely on your own. Take all these fellow's advice, go to one of the clubs in your area and get some help. You will have experienced persons helping you out and you will become a better, safer pilot for it. Trust the responses you have received, they know what they are talking about.

Regards,
doubledee