On Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 3:16:58 PM UTC-4, wrote:

Much of the problem with multi-engine safety is due to minimum control airspeed with one engine. This is less of an issue with in-line configurations, such as the Cessna Skymaster. One benefit of electric propulsion is that it's very compact and provides more mounting options. You'd never squeeze two rotax engines into an in-line configuration, but this would be very easy to do with electric.

I'd not much worry about the FES electric motor or prop failing. I might get a big reliability boost from redundant controllers. A small secondary battery pack with ~10 minutes of sustainer function would reduce my chances of landing in someone's attic. A more reliable 'metering fuel gauge' would solve the same problem with fewer parts.

If the system fails, the best Plan B for me is to land out. As a recreational pilot I choose where to fly, so flying out of reach of a landable field would be simple hubris.

Owning a tow-capable LSA AND a pure sailplane seems the most cost-effective solution to a shortage of aerotow providers. Finding a time-building young tow pilot should not be too hard, especially if I let them use the plane for few hours gratis and they might even crew if I occasionally land out. And I could fly the LSA on poor soaring days.

My interdependence with a group of people is one of the most rewarding aspects of soaring. If I wanted to be entirely self-reliant, I would buy a power plane, and pay hourly for professional assistance as needed.