Originally Posted by jester_s1

I don't lament the decline of glow power at all. Glow was what RC pilots used because it was the best thing they had. In many cases, it was the only practical thing they had. 30 years ago we didn't have brushless motors and lipo batteries, so electric couldn't compete on the low end. So modelers dealt with expensive fuel and little carburetor passages that got clogged with the tiniest pieces of dirt and engines that got gummy when they sat for a few months because that was the only thing that gave acceptable performance. On the big end, the only other option was to convert a chainsaw engine which require machine shop skills and tools that many didn't have. Even then, the result was an overweight and underpowered engine that was hard to start. Glow engines became ubiquitous not because they were wonderful, but because they were the only practical option for so long. Had we had DLE gassers and Rimfire motors 30 years ago, there would probably be zero glow engines in service today.