Electric is a very popular choice for the 3D crowd in the 70-78" wing span and 10-11 lbs class. Most of the 3D models from 3dhobbyshop, ExtremeFlight, and Precision Aerobatics under 78" are electric. They do make gas options too, but you don't see as much of them. In this size, EP is the ideal blend of light weight and instant power. Only draw back is the 6 minute flight times.
ORIGINAL: Oberst
ORIGINAL: cutaway
I've seen plenty of electrics dead stick at our field.
Cooked motors, fried ESC's, fly too long and the ESC shutsdown the high draw motor, etc.
I have as well including a few Lipo fires. I'm a glow and gas person only, but electrics are perfect for park flying and aircraft that are .25 and lower. To me electric planes seem on the toyish side, and when I flew them the first year I joined the hobby, they don't handle or fly very scale like. Maybe that's because the aircraft are made on the light side because of the electric motor?
My new club is gas/glow only because we have a special field for electrics. That's to prevent the cheap foamies getting in the way of some of the $1,000-$4,000 aircraft and to prevent mid-airs with them. What's nice about the park flyers is you don't need a club to fly- just a nice open park or field. I guess there is a place for everything in this hobby.
I started on a cheap electric trainer and didn't start glow until I knew how to fly safely on the electric. When I crashed my cheap plane it didn't break the bank to fix it. By the time I had bought my first glow trainer there was no looking back for me. The smell, sound and mess got me hooked.
Pete