Newbie advice required: Irvine 36 Heli engine

[darren_uk]

(Colin, this is a more thorough question than the original I posted that you kindly helped with. In this one I'm also asking about online manuals, starting procedures, needle settings, etc)

I need newbie advice and info on engine starting, setup (mixture settings) and storing on my Irvine 36.

Here's some background about the heli if it helps:

Hirobo Shuttle Z-TS
Irvine 36 engine.

It's the only machine I've ever had. Built it myself back in 1998, had a boom strike, and Dick Wallinger of Midland Helicopters rebuilt it and set it up correctly.

I fly rarely: I'm just about finished the gallon of Cool Power 10% - that's since 1998 and now it's 2003 !! (Actually, that's not strictly true, I also had a gallon of some other stuff that I had to leave behind when I moved house - I was halfway through that one too, but you get the picture!)


First: I find it takes ages to get it started the first time. Is this normal? And just to help my understanding, what's actually happening that takes so long?

And what is the correct starting procedure? And how do I know when it's going wrong (what symptoms to watch/listen/feel for) and how to correct them before I attempt again?

Second: is there any online manual about the Irvine 36? So that I understand what the mixture settings are, what to look out for, how to know if I need to adjust them (I've not adjusted them since 1999 when Dick Wallinger rebuilt the heli and set it all up for me). I'm confident they're still OK, but I'd prefer to know what to look/listen for to tell if it's time to adjust again.

Finally, storage. I've found in the past that when it's been sitting a long time, the piston is stuck. I need to use a wrench on the starter shaft to free it (I know, I know - some of you are whincing right now). Fortunately it's flown OK (I'm only up to lazy eight stages, with a few confident full power climbs when I'm feeling ambitious, but mainly I'm just hovering around the field).

I've only this week found out that glow fuel attracts moisture, hence rust over long periods of time. Although I fly the heli until it stops due to lack of fuel, I bet this isn't enough to completely remove all the fuel from the engine.

So any advice on storage? (As at the time of writing, I've turned the motor with the fuel line disconnected, and now it's sitting on my shelf with the starter shaft attached so that every few days I'll turn it once or twice by hand to keep it free).

Many thanks in advance for advice and tips and pointers to online manuals.