I have been flying for a couple of years but I am new to electric flight and do not know why there is a differance between ESC's

Can I run brushed and brushless with the same ESC, if not why.

Smoggy:
Nope, they are entirely different . The easy way to tell the difference between the two is the brushless ESC has 3 wires going to the motor, and the brushed has 2. Brushless motors are 3 phase hence the 3 wires going to the motor. Thats about all I know about them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bob

Basically, with a brushed motor, the wires that carry the electrical supply to the motor terminate at the brushes. The brushes control which windings of the armature receive current. The speed controller simply regulates the amount of current that gets to the armature. In a brushless, all of the windings are permanently connected to the wires. The speed controller regulates which windings get the electrical supply at any given time.