Field Equipment
Everything You’ll Need To Go Flying!
There’s more you need to take to the flying field than just your plane. Here’s a list of field equipment to get you started.
Flight Box w/Power Supply: 
Everyone at the field will have a field box with a 12v power supply. It’s necessary field equipment. These are used to hold and organize all of your other equipment,fuel and tools. It all will have a 12v power supply unit on it so you can operate and charge your electric starter and batteries, as needed.
Glow Plug Igniter: 
A glow plug igniter is required to initially heat up the filament of the glow plug to red hot, so that the fuel mixture inside the combustion chamber of the engine is ignited. Once the engine is started, the igniter is taken off and the heat within the engine keeps the plug glowing. Glow plug igniters are 1.5V and should be recharged before each trip to the flying field. A weak igniter won’t heat up a plug! The igniter can be charged at home or straight from your flight boxes 12v power panel.
Glow Plug Wrench: 
A glow plug wrench is a required an essential nitro RC airplane accessory! Glow plugs have a tendency of burning out and do need to be replaced time to time. Without a glow plug wrench you won’t be able to remove the glow plug from the engines cylinder head, and replace it with a brand new one.
Glow Plugs: 
Spare glow plugs are required field equipment for when the one in the engine burns out on you, which it will sooner or later! A bad glow plug is about the biggest cause of non-starting nitro engines, and it takes only a few seconds to change a plug – as long as you didn’t forget your glow plug wrench!
Nitro Glow Fuel: 
Glow fuel is, needless to say, essential! Choosing a high quality fuel is important – lower quality fuels can have an unwanted effect on your engine’s performance. Follow manufacturer recommendations for selecting the proper fuel for your engine, both oil content and nitromethane content can vary depending on performance requirements. You can check with your local hobby shop or the guys at the field to find the proper fuel for your particular engine.
Fuel Pumps: 
A fuel pump can be either mechanical or electrical. A mechanical one is obviously cheaper and just as effective. Flight boxes equipped with a 12V battery and a ‘power panel’ will often have a pump build into the panel. Along with a pump, a small plastic squeeze bottle with a thin nozzle is also a good idea, you may need to squirt fuel directly into the carburetor if you’re having problems priming the engine.
Electric Starter: 
An electric starter is essentially a 12V motor that’s used to turn over your airplane’s engine. A rubber end piece fits on to the shaft of the starter and pushes against the nose cone of the engine. When the starter is turned on, the airplane’s engine gets turned over quickly, bringing it in to life.
Chicken Stick: 
A chicken stick is a thick rubber sleeve that goes onto your finger, or a wooden or plastic stick with a thick rubber coating one end. A chicken stick is used to manually flip over the propeller, thus protecting your finger against injury. The prop can be very sharp and sometimes the engine will back fire. So the chicken stick is a good idea to use.
If you opt to start your engine manually instead of with an electric starter, the chicken stick is one RC airplane accessory that you don’t want to leave off the list!
Check the link below for all your field equipment needs. There’s a lot more to look at. The list above will get you started, but check out the other guys field boxes and ask questions about other items that will make your modeling experience as simple as possible.
