direct comparison with electric/glow as basic trainers , glow will win out. if on-going costs &other factors are considered , electric ,such as Electra compare very well.operating costs are low .I agree the set ups are more critical. if one were to fly a .40 glow job with 4 oz. tank, 30 engine etc -glow guys would cry foul! but to some extent thats what they are doing. gliders make great trainers & electric does that well. its clean, plane last long time (- you just cant beat that with glow) Freedom 20, astro 15 geared flies 7-8 min of spirited flight -without lipos & big buck set ups /. many times gas do not use all their flight time anyway.there are many ways to approach electric which makes it difficult to choose.