Mark,

I'm really not it the best position to answer all of your questions as I only have a couple flights on my Pitts but I'll tell you what I know. I put flying wires on the tail as I can truly see that they make a difference. The gassers when idling will show you first hand that they can really help stabilize the tail area. I think that would be even more important as air speed increases and thus energy increases over the tail. That said, I really can't see the same situation with the wings. Enough said. I'm using 4 servos in the wing as I think it looks better and if you have a failure you have more of a back up. (Which happen on my Pizzaz two weeks ago, landed with one aileron!) I wish I knew the best engine/plane combo but I don't. I'm using a Quadra 52 with electronic Ignition and it sure powers it well but does not have unlimited vertical. (Close - Maybe after breaking in and some prop experimenting it will have unlimited vertical) My engine is a bit heavier then most so I stripped out my smoke setup. My pump was mounted on the side of the engine block and the tank was mounted directly below the gas tank. The stock tank fits almost perfectly below the original gas tank with some very slight dremel work and one support. Hope this helps!