FIrst start mishap - Shuttle Plus OS 32 needle valve adjustment

[1996celt4]

Hi:

Well while I am still ironing out the gyro and servo settings of my 2002 Shuttle Plus I could not resist tryng to start it. I removed the blades, added fuel, attached the glow starter and cranked the motor with a hanger9 starter. The engine started right up but at a furious rpm. I grabbed it by the landing skids and held it straight out and removed the glow starter. It stalled. Turns out I had the throttle open all the way Thank goodness the only damage was a bent flybar. After I stopped shaking I replaced the bent flybar and inspected for damage, All looked OK. I went to my servo reverse settings on my DX7 and reversed the throttle setting. Grabbed the blade grips and tried again. Gave it a littled throttle and hit it with the starter. Started right up but at nice low rpms. The throttle was reversed when I tried it the first time. So when I had the throttle at what I thought was zero it was actually wide open. But on my second attempt after reversing the throttle, it ran for a few seconds and stalled. I played a bit with the needle valve but could not fnd the right position to keep it running. So I decided to count myself lucky and put it away.

Is there a formula for findng the right setting for the needle valve? I heard something about 2 and one half turns. What does that mean? Closing the valve and then turning it 2 and one half turns?

[benwhite22]

Wow! Close call. Always have you hand on the main rotor and a foot on the landing skid when starting your helicopter. This will protect you in case of a "hot start" like you experienced. Also, do not start a nitro helicopter without the blades because you risk overspeeding the engine.

As to tuning your engine, search around here on the Freak; there are lots of threads about engine tuning. Since it seems you are new to nitro helicopters, I'd advise you to seek some experienced help even if it means driving several hours one Saturday. An experienced pilot can look over your heli to make sure everything is built and setup correctly (someone probably would have caught your throttle being reversed) and can help with engine tuning as watching someone in person is worth a hundred tuning threads online. One help sesson can save you a smashed heli and possible injury.