Chris,

Welcome back to the pattern ranks. Yes, things have changed a lot since 1987 but the old requirements of 'straight', 'round' and 'centered' are still the same.

The Element 170 is a nice flying plane and will work well in Intermediate. Either glo or electric will work equally well. If you need to purchase new glo or electric setups to fly, then I will say the electric setup will probably cost more initially but pay for itself over time compared to the long term cost of glo solutions. But then again, I am prejudiced ;-)

Glo fuel prices have gone up and show no tendency to come down in the near future. Depending on the engine choice (glo) you could be spending upwards of $25 gallon if you need to high nitro blends for some of the 4 strokes. If you go with a large 2 stroke, you will not need as much nitro content.

Lipo battery packs for the electric setups have improved dramatically in the past 4 years in ability to deliver consistent current as well as battery life. I would expect that improvement to continue going forward but you will eventually 'wear out' a battery over time and will need to replace it.

With glo, you buy your fuel a gallon at a time, with electric, you buy your fuel a pack at a time and the up front cost is greater. Cost over time is dependant on how many flights you get from a battery pack.

So, it kinda depends on what you would 'prefer' to do.... here are some choices, there are many, but I am listing the more obvious ones. All of these choices have been successful proven power plants.

Glo engines:
YS140DZ
YS160DZ
YS170DZ
OS 160 2 stroke
OS 140 2 Stroke rear exhaust with pump

Electric Motors:
AXI 5330 F3A
Plettenberg
Himax F3A
Hacker inrunner
Hacker outrunner
Neu inrunners

Electric controllers (ESCs):
Castle Creations
Jeti
Hacker (made by Jeti)
Schultze (sp?)
YGE


If you decide to go electric, there are cheap Chinese motors and ESCs available, but I would recommend you stick with proven systems to start with to minimize learning curves and failures.

We would be happy to answer any questions you have about these solutions, just ask away.

Once again, welcome back.

Woodie
Team Acme