Glad we can discuss openly. And I am not attempting to bash you or anyone else. This is not a competition.

Good info will come out of the discussion.

Your points are all well taken. Certainly a 16 oz speed 400 based electric will not handle 15 mph winds as well as a 5 pound .40 glow plane when flown by a new flyer. One of my first pieces of advice to a new electric, glider or glow flyer is to do your early flights in as little wind as possible. Less an issue for the glow pilot, but still good advice. For slope glider pilots that advice doesn't apply.

On the other hand, that glow plane would be hard pressed to fly in a local "pocket park" without raising hell with the neighbors, assuming it could be flown in that small a space at all. Some flying fields don't allow glow planes because of the noise or whatever justificaiton they might have. The county does not allow our club to fly glow planes on our field except on special occasions when we use them for tugs in an aerotow of scale gliders. On other occasions we use electric tugs to take up the scale planes.

A baseball field is plenty of room to fly a GWS tiger moth, but I think a NextStart glow trainer would be a bit big and fast for that space. So, where you hope to fly can help you decide what you would like to fly.

I agree that the entry point has blurred. There used to be two entry paths and now there are three.

In the olden days of 10 years ago, you either started on glow power or you started on gliders. Two very different entry points. Both are fun, both satisfying and both can be totally consuming. And gliders has two branches of its own, those being slope gliders and thermal duration gliders.

I think you would agree that one could discuss those as valid entry points into RC flying. No real practical electrics around 10 years ago, except for the really committed. And, in those days of yore, many gliders were launched with glow engines.

Some of those glider pilots have been flying for years and have never flown a plane with ailerons as there are lots and lots of wonderful RE and RES thermal sailplanes and slope planes that can be flown with simple two and three channel radios. There are local, regional, national and international competitions for RES thermal gliders/sailplanes.

If you classify elevons as ailerons, then I would guess a higher percentage of slope flyers have flown elevons/ailerons than thermal pilots. Those super popular wings and two channel elevator/aileron planes are all over the slopes. Elevons were my first introduction to aileron flight, on an electric delta wing. Good preparation for my first aileron sailplane.

I would wager that there are tens of thousands of glider guiders who have flown for years, had a thoroughly satisfying experience and have never flow a plane that goes 50 to 70 mph and really don't care if they ever do. Of course some slope guys are speed demons, flying a two channel plane in excess of 150 mph with no motor. Crazy, but fun for them, great fun!

Now there is a new, viable entry point that represents a world of its own, electric flight. From the little indoor planes to the 100 mph+ speed demons, electrics span a wider performance envelope every year. The smaller planes are so inexpensive you can buy a whole set-up including plane, radio, battery and charger for $50 and enjoy a very flyable plane. Not my recommended entry point, but I have flown them and they can be lots of fun.

While still expensive you can fly 20 pound planes with electric motors and 3-5 pound electrics are becoming more common every year.

I would bet that, like glider and glow pilots, many electric pilots will start electric and stay electric forever. Nothing wrong with glow power or gliders, but nothing necessary about them either. Like the happy glider guider, there may be no compelling reason to try that other branch called glow power. Even glow launched gliders have faded into the shadows as virtually all new power launched gliders are electric and there are regional, national and international competitions for these two. Oh there will always be some that are glow based, but they are pretty rare these days.

The notion that a pilot will necessarily move from something to glow is not valid and becoming less and less likely every year. Electric sales, in units and $ volume will overtake glow soon, if it hasn't already. And the glow fields are being pushed further and further out of town making electrics so much more convenient.

I am not anti glow! I even have several that I recommend to new pilots who express an interest in glow. Those recommendations are based on what I read in magazine reviews and posts here on the forums. A lot of satisfied flyers would seem to indicate that a given plane is meeting the buyer's expectations. I tell the new flyers who want glow planes to check them out.

Net net! Some like glow, some like gas, some like turbine jets, some like gliders and some like electrics. Where the new flyer starts, and where they stay or which ones they sample is totally up to them. I started electric and have expanded big time to gliders, both slope and thermal. I may try glow some day, or I may not. There are several glow clubs and fields within easy reach of my home and some of our club members fly glow and gas too. One that used to exclude electrics is now open to them since so many of their members have added electics to the fleet and were starting to fly at other fields more than their own. So, I may go fly with them from time to time. I might even get a turn at a glow plane. Who knows.

I am already flying 6 channel sailplanes and at least one of my slope planes is set-up for 70 mph based on the way I sized the servos. I also think some of the dual motor and brushless wings that go 75+ might be fun to fly some day.

However, my interests are turning more toward slow flying electrics, indoor electrics, 3D electrics and I just bought my first rubber powered free flight. Maybe I will get something like this.

http://modellvideos.de/videos/Knuffe...-die-zwote.wmv

It doesn't fly at 75 MPH, but it could be fun anyway.

Some new pilots want to start their flying with glow planes. I think that is great!