They stink horribly. To sum it up, your car will stink, your clothes will stink and so will your condo. You have to drive home with the thing in a sealed trash bag so your car doesn't smell like it's going to blow up due to the ether fumes. I think they're cool, but the coolness doesn't offset the smell at least for me. Ken

             They stink horribly. To sum it up, your car will stink, your clothes will stink and so will your condo. You have to drive home with the thing in a sealed trash bag so your car doesn't smell like it's going to blow up due to the ether fumes. I think they're cool, but the coolness doesn't offset the smell at least for me. Ken

Ken,

Having run diesels for a lot of years your comments are correct about the smell however, there are options.
The easiest is to use a little candle scent in the fuel but that brings another problem. Do you want yourself, car and clothes and condo to smell of wild strawberry or Grape.
Another is do not use the highly refined kerosene that is used for space heaters it isn't as good as pump kerosene.
But the biggest thing is that it is very hard to accurately time the engine run and you can easily get an over run. I always used a starter in R/C simply because I never turned the compression screw or needle valve in over 5 years on one particular model. They sound awful when started but warm up and smooth out quickly.
Not difficult to learn how to run a diesel and I was always a fan of these engines.

             Dane, I'm with you 100%. I didn't want my post to come off as a bashing statement. I just watch them run on the bench and I've flown a few of them. They're cool but I can't take the smell. As Dennis mentioned in terms of changing the scent, a viable option but one I never tried or experienced. Dennis, I hope you saved a few diesels which we can try at the field appropriately set up in the manner you mentioned. I have a quart of fuel here. Ken

I've gone through maybe 30 gallons of model diesel fuel.  I used to think it had an odor but I no longer think so.  I've never had any unusual trouble with run times.  I like to leave the needle set because the needle on a diesel is much more sensitive in terms of fuel consumption than a glow needle. 

One story.  I was flying my Dmeco Sportwing with St G20-15 diesel at a Sig contest.  At the time I was using a black sullivan bulb for fueling.  I foolishly left the can of fuel and bulb sitting in the sun.  The fuel warmed up enough that I could not finish the OTS pattern on a tankful.  I filled the bulb, clamped it off and put it on ice. Problem solved.  My cans of diesel fuel will pop with temperature changes in my shop. 

It all depends on what you use as a kerosene. If you use pump diesel then sure it stinks, just as truck diesel stinks. The way to get round this is simple. I use white spirit as the fuel element of the mix, the same stuff that you get in hardware stores. Then I add about 5 % of oil lamp fuel that is citronella  perfumed! The alternative to this is to use the super refined lamp oil that is used for .... you guessed it, old fashioned oil lamps.

Thanks guys for all the great responses. My wife, while beautiful has a nose like a bird dog and is sensitive to most types of fuel. She hates it when I burn white gas in my camp stoves, I love it on the other hand. So it looks like for now it will either have to be glow or electric and I am not totally sold on electrics. I want the simplicity and the throw back romance of yesteryear. Having a computer on the plane seems contrary to my goal. Maybe I will pick up a nice little Enya .15? I still have not ruled out the diesel, I just may pick one up and box it until I can mess around with it. Last question, after I run one of these sticky critters, is there anything that can be done to them to make them less offensive? Wash the outside with solvent ect?

I agree with Steve.

No doubt I've been preconditioned by growing up on a small farm, and have always liked the sweet aroma of Kerosene based fuels.

We had no electricity for years, so we cooked on a Kerosene stove, read by the light of Kerosene lamps, washed engine and car parts in Kerosene, and stored a drum of Kerosene in the basement. Some of the vehicles I drove were also diesel powered.

The aroma for me is just a pleasant reminder of home, and my youth (both long gone).

We live in a Condo now, so I don't paint, or run any engines at home, however I do mix and store diesel fuel in small batches in our built in garage, and have had no complaints in over ten years.

My wife never complains about my airplanes, because I wipe them down with Windex before loading them back in the car, and dispose of the dirty paper towels at the field.

If you live near a club flying field you might drop by some time to see if anyone runs diesel engines there. Chances are someone does, and you could meet then there to observe a run. Hopefully, you won't find the aroma near as objectionable as some claim.

Bill

Hey you guys. Get into the real world. Diesels have a wonderful heavenly aroma all of their own!  

.......... anything else I should put of the list?

Cox engines now do a diesel too if the size doesn't bother you.