You know what they say about opinions and poop chutes, everybody has one. I found that working with an instructor on a glow trainer and buddy box was far more productive for me than trying to throw around my Aerobird Challenger at the park. Once I learned how to fly my Nexstar, I found that I also could fly my Aerobird much better.

The simple fact is I've talked to dozens of great pilots who entered the hobby from the opposite end. They taught themselves to fly electrics and only wandered into the glow plane/club flying scene after the desire to try something different or new hit them.

Some folks don't have the time, the money, the flying room, or the storage space required for glow planes. Other folks simply may not have an interest in glow planes and they are attracted to small electrics for less tangible reasons. They're not wrong, and glow pilots are doing a disservice to the hobby when they try to tell these folks about the "right way" to learn to fly.