Hold on, there, Witterings. Hours of tuning and adjusting? Hmm... with the right engine and prop combination (and you have to do that with electrics too.. select the right prop for the job), perhaps 20 minutes (two tanks) initially to 'break in the engine' then about 20 seconds after that doing a proper tune, and you're off and flying. So, come on, don't over exaggerate like that... because it just is not true.
Erroet: The only real advantage electric has over glow (IC) is that they are quieter. The disadvantage is expense, lack of overall power for a given aircraft as compared to the same aircraft with glow, and fragility. They are just not as tough as their glow counterparts.
One key factor that must be taken into consideration is weight vs. power requirements. They must match. That goes for both glow and electric, but is much more crucial with electrics. If you under power one, and it's easy to do (wrong battery selection, wrong ESC value, or wrong motor size) you won't get much flying time, if any, out of the electric.
Just be careful about what you choose. There is a general formula that explains the wattage requirements vs. weight or flying style.
Probably the most used rule in the history of electric flight is one originated by well known electric flight guru Keith Shaw. The rule states that for reasonable sport performance, a plane's power system should draw at least 40 to 50 Watts per pound (W/lb) of airplane. For good aerobatics capabilities, 70 Watts per pound is more suitable. These figures are in terms of motor input power (Watts = Volts x Amps), and assume a motor efficiency of about 75%, which was typical of a good cobalt motor when this rule was suggested. With a modern brushless motor operating at 85% or better, this can be changed to 35 to 45 W/lb for sport performance, and 60 W/lb for aerobatics.
I found this on
http://www.stefanv.com/rcstuff/qf200407.html
CGr.