Lotta questions, but I am in the same boat. Yeah, the T-hawk is a handful. Too much for a beginner, I feel. I am buying a Slow Stick to try to fly something a little slower. However, you talk about the airplane being pitchy. Make sure that the electronics are secured with the 2 way tape and make sure your battery is secure. I have replaced the foam behind the battery with styrofoam from a stack of plates cut in the proper shape. It sounds like your CG is off. The battery should be so far foward the canopy may not shut properly. That helps move the CG back behind the leading edge of the wing. Remove the wing, but leave the battery. Hold the airplane with one finger hooked toward the canopy where the wing would be. It should slightly lean to the rear. As far as the repair, I think shortening the tail boom would make it a little harder to fly. I have considered using a carbon fiber archery arrow and lengthening mine a few inches for stability. You can repair elevators with clear packing tape and wings (they fold just past the reinforcement) with a small slat of woood. I made mine with a table saw and a sander. I extended it out to 22.5 inches to cover the fold. You can download the T-hawk for FMS off of the internet. On FMS, it is pitchy and tail heavy, so the guy that wrote the program must have flown one before. The papers I got with the airplane said to throw the airplane up at a 45 degree angle. It stalls every time. Try throwing it straight but let go before you pull the airplane down. With full throttle the plane should fly straight ahead for 50+ feet before controls are needed. Make sure to apply the throttle first as it will twist into the ground if done too late. Slip in and dive is normal, fighting that myself. I found FMS after crashing 20+ times. I think it will help my next outing. Gonna try that popsicle trick...