ORIGINAL: siryan
IMO its not worth the trouble gearing the motor unless you love the challenge, theres a lot of cheap motors out there with good quality which were made specifically for planes
All too often people dimiss geared systems out of hand...
With the smaller motors you CAN swing a larger prop with a geared system, making the resulting output equivalent to a larger motor's effect at significantly reduced weight.
That's why my Typhoon 2 came with a geared system, but it still supports a brushless inrunner.
It swings a 13" prop for 3D. The plane can hang on the prop for a good 10+ minutes using a lowly 2200mA battery pack.
Try doing the same with a direct drive system and you'll bog the plane down with a lot of extra weight just to attain the same slow speed 3D performance.
Each has tradeoffs and benefits.