Sure. If they had a lot of experience on helis and were willing to invest time on simulators and get help making sure the model flies as expected. There is nothing easier to fly than a big gas powered airplane. I personally know a guy who flew nothing BUT simulators. He is an over the road trucker and spent time every night with his sim on a notebook. He brough a ARF Extra and a heli out to the field and flew tham both very well, shocking the heck out of us. He has never flown a real model before. He said they were a whole lot easier to fly than the one in 2D on a screen.

But, you are right, I think I shall get an EVO-8 with a brushless motor and LiPO. It seems a good place to start after many hours on the sim.