Have a problem with "nitro" as a engine type

by Bruce Loughridge
(Bemerton, WA)

We have gasoline engines, and diesel engines, and glow engines. What we don't have are "nitro engines".

The common model airplane, boat and car engines are glow engines that run on glow fuel. The glow fuel is ignited by a glow plug. The fuel is mostly alcohol with about 20% lubricant amd a small percentage of nitromethane as an oxidizer.

The usual percentage is between 5 and 15%. Much more is a waste of money in most cases and leads to a short engine life.

Most glow engines will run quite well on FAI fuel which has NO nitromethane in it and is the required fuel in all FAI events. I guess then they would be "No Nitro" engines. As the greatest concentration after alcohol is lubricant I guess they should be called "oil" engines.

The term "nitro engine" started about the time R/C race cars came out. The writers and others started using the term. I guess it sounded more exotic than glow engine.

The glow engine came into being in 1947 when Ray Arden invented the glow plug. People who have been in the hobby any length of time know the correct term. Those using "nitro engine" are showing they are new to the hobby. Using "nitro engine" is like saying R/C means remote control when it actually means radio control.

The next time you buy an engine, look on the box or instruction sheet and see if it says Nitro or Glow on it. Betcha 50 bucks it's called a glow engine and the fuel is called glow fuel.

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Have a problem with "nitro" as a engine type

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Apr 11, 2009
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Yep, You're Right!
by: Matt

I don't disagree with you there Bruce!

I have a couple of pages that back up what you say 100%

Glow Fuel
Glow Plugs

I think you are right about the marketing thing. "Nitro" sounds a lot cooler than "Glow", that's for sure!

I guess we could call them "alcohol" engines? Na, that doesn't really sound cool as "nitro" either...

I've heard this discussion a time or two. Some people even get heated about it! Kinda crazy, like you insulted their mother or something by calling their engine a "nitro engine", lol.

But it's just one of those things. Half the people call them nitro engines, half the people called them glow engines.

I personally use the two terms interchangeable because that's what most of the people I know and fly with call them.

But you are right, they are technically GLOW engines!

Thanks for pointing that out.

Matt