Hey 50+ years, We are still talking a trainer plane for a new guy. You are talking about how long you can thermal on a battery pack. How long did it take you to be able to get up to 30 minute flights??? If you think about it new flyers usually find a way to lose lots of altitude in a hurry. With glow power you can get throttle up and gain altitude in a fe seconds. An epowered glider will take much longer and use a bit of battery power each time. I have watched instructors use e powered planes for trainers and the flight times are almost always very short lasting around 5 minutes. The lack of power when the wind comes up is also evident. The instructor can usually compensate but it leaves the poor student standing there with nothing to do. E power can be a great alternative after you solo, but for basic training I am convinced that glow power is by far the best way to go! [8D]