Count me in as one who did fly a traditional flat bottom airfoiled trainer to death. I calculate I had nearly 200 flights on my LT-40 with no substantial crashes. One unintentional landing in the corn while on a long approach. Flying a trainer I could briefly take my hands off the sticks (and my eyes off the airplane while I figured out what my timer said or where the trim lever was).

My first few flights with the UltraStick were more than a little on the apprehensive side since I was also dealing with a new engine setup (never flew a 4-stroke before). Now that I have the US properly trimmed out and the Saito running like a fine watch it's a delight to fly. I have mine set up with flaps, crow and can switch to full span ailerons. I tried crow for the first time (at a sufficient altitude) tonight and it's not quite set up right. I'm changing to a longer horn on my wing servos to get the recommended deflection range.

Yes, you can use one as a trainer - IF you have a qualified instructor, the student has a basic knowledge of flight controls and the buddy box is not weaned too soon.