There are many different types of equipment used to "light it up." If there is a power panel, most pilots choose the simple wire-and-connector system shown. This system plugs into the power panel, provides 1.5 volts, and features adjustable current flow depending on the glow plug's condition.
    Independent systems use a rechargeable, 1.2-volt Ni-Cd battery (fixed or replaceable) or a replaceable 1.5-volt alkaline battery. Rechargeable systems require a charger that plugs into the glow-plug end. Many independent glow-plug igniters feature a meter to measure the current being supplied to the glow plug.
    Having a meter prevents one major headache. The meter's reading itself is not all that important because the current is not adjustable and is hard to read anyway. What is important is that you can tell if the glow plug has completely failed; the meter will read zero current.
    Another good feature to look for in an independent glow igniter is a medium-length stem. Short-stem igniters are good, but they can't reach a glow plug inside a cowling. Long stems, which are roughly 6 inches, tend to vibrate and come loose too often to trust on uncowled engines. (The plug-access hole in the cowling helps stabilize long-reach igniters.)
    Sometime in your model-piloting career, you will fly an airplane with cowling. You may as well get the medium-length igniter now because you will surely use it before your career is finished. The same holds true for your choice of glow-plug wrenches.

As shown, there is a wealth of field and accessory equipment available. There are enough items so that your friends and family should have no difficulty determining your holiday and birthday presents for the next decade. I've only covered in detail the basic must-have items with which to get started.
    Digital voltmeters that test a radio system's batteries are nice to have for sport aircraft and are a necessity when a model's cost starts to cause altitude sickness in normal people. Rather than just measure a battery's voltage, these instruments measure voltage while applying a simulated flight load on the receiver battery.
    A safe practice is to cease flying and begin recharging when the battery's voltage drops to 0.1-0.2 volts less than its nominal capacity. It's time to recharge when the common 4.8-volt receiver battery reaches 4.6 volts. Begin recharging when a 6.0-volt receiver battery reaches 5.8 volts or when the 9.8-volt transmitter battery drops to less than 9.6 volts. These are conservative ratings, but they will never cost you a model airplane because of a dead battery.
    Field chargers can extend your flying day while making sure that there is "enough" radio-system battery capacity for safety.
    A digital tachometer extends engine life by preventing lean runs. A tachometer also prevents airframe damage that can result from off-runway landings that took place because the low-speed mixture adjustments were incorrect and the engine died during your first spin attempt.
    There are so many required tools—ball-driver sets (English and Metric), all sizes and types of screwdrivers, wrenches, extra spinner parts, propellers, spare glow-plug caddies, emergency adhesives, extra parts, etc.—that discussing them would take several more articles. Fortunately you can find out about these items by checking to see what other pilots at your field have squirreled away in their flight boxes.
    If you would like to see what many of these extra items are and how the Great Planes Master Caddy is built, visit the "Baggage Compartment" section of the Sport Aviator online magazine at www.masportaviator.com.

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In this segment of the "From the Ground Up" series, I have written about almost everything most newer model pilots need to know for successful engine management. Other parts of this series have covered how to pick the right radio system for your needs, how to best install it in your model, how to construct a light electric-powered model, and what every new modeler needs to know about electric flight.
    But even the best radio system and engine need something to hold it together and then get all of it into the air. That something—the airframe itself—will be the subject of the next part of this series.
    I will cover how to assemble an RTF trainer, and then how to assemble it so it lasts even longer and flies better. ARF trainers will be next, followed by the many improvements you can make to an ARF to prolong the airframe's life and make it fly even better. See you then. MA