RE: LANDING BEFORE EMPTY ?
Dead sticks happen for whatever reason, always have always will.
It's good to be familiar with your plane in glide mode...even better if you choose to fly planes that HAVE a glide mode if called upon.
When I come in dead stick, there is no panicky announcement, no hullabaloo, no drama, I just land off to the side and pick the model up when there's a break in the action.