RE: going for gas
Afterburner,
That's not necessarily so, as there are several aerobatic planes available in the 68-75" wingspan category that can easily handle a small gasser.
My Goldberg Extra which spans 68", flies very well and has retained all of its original good flying habits with a Zenoah G23 engine which replaced the original ST G90 engine.
Though very aerobatic, it certaintly is not 3D capable, but then it was never designed for that type of flying.