Hoss? Turbines quit? Maybe differences in everyone’s perception is part of the problem. Back in the day, I was a Red Baron too – and a member of Northwest R/C – and another R/C club that I don’t remember the name of (but you were there) so I’ve been around long enough to remember unmuffled engines and I have some piped engines but don’t fly R/C with them. I have not seem a turbine fly yet but one the AMA DVD, they seem pretty loud!

When we start referring to gearbox and prop noise as being loud in electric planes, maybe we’re paranoid enough to be our own worst enemies. I don't have an electric, but at our field they are prominent and some members have state-of-the-art stuff. There's one EP helicopter the owner claims has the equivalent of 3 or 4 HP (don't remember exactly) but I’ve probably seen this thing fly 50 times and when the pilot flips it, the rotors make a pretty good "whump" and on the average it's nosier than any electric plane I've seen. I can’t imagine any electric plane being louder, but in no way would I describe it as being “loud”. I use stock and pitts mufflers on two-strokes up to .91 size. All electrics and four-stroke glow planes seem quieter than my models. At our field and others I’ve visited - all glow helicopters, all twins and multi's and all gassers (which probably do have the potential of being quiet) are all louder than my R/C models.