The Spirit was my first sailplane. When I redid it I made several modifications. If I can find the thread on here I will add the link.
- Changed from full size standard servos to mini servos. Today I would use HS-81/82 class servos.
- Move the servos from under the wing to the rear most compartment under the canopy to shift weight forward.
- Use Nylon push rods that ran along the edge of the fuse on each side. Worked great and left room in the center over the CG for ballast.
- Drilled out a hole in the nose block and added an ounce of lead to move ballast forward
- Sheeted the outer wing panels with 1/32 balsa on the top.
The result was a saving of about 4 ounces and a much better flying glider.
Also noted that the kit had a bit too much up angle in the h-stab. Hi-start launches tended to have the plane wanting to loop. So I reset the h-stab to a zero angle.
Finally I kept pushing the CG back and back form where the plans recommended.
I put HS-55s in each wing to operate the spoilers.
Result, a great flying sailplane. Still have it.