ORIGINAL: PwrOfCheese
My friend at the hobby store suggested I now remove the aluminum swashplate because he's heard reports of it causing binding due to the hard to fit ball joints.
Updated: Removing the aluminum swashplate worked. Altitude holds pretty steady and I can hold a hover a foot off the floor without landing every 3 seconds.
With the alum swash the balls are indeed larger than the stock ones. You take a pair of needle nose pliers and squeeze the link while on the ball and that loosens the fit. Your hobby shop guy should know this, but it's not hard to believe he doesn't. Like I noted before, IMHO the alum swash is one of the best upgrades. The tail support being the best overall.
Gage-- I have a piece of loop velcro on each battery and one piece of hook on the bottom of the battery tray to keep the battery from shifting. Then I just lock it in with one rubber band. Works for me.