The Contender is a great flier. I added some rudder area to mine (see image - mimiced the horizontal stan/elev shape and added about 30% to the original). Much more authority for stall turns and flat spins. I'd only do two things different. I built the upswept tips and I don't think it is worth the cost in looks. I've flown another pilot's Contender and it doesn't fly any different either way. I couldn't get his to do the "Dutch Roll" that the upswept tips was supposed to prevent. And, I should have tipped the engine to run the exhaust low and get the cylinder out of sight more. I've seen a couple here and it is much racier looking with a smooth nose from spinner to canopy.



I also built a functional nose intake about 3/8" wide and 1/4" deep inside the "dummy" nose scoop to drain any spilled fuel and to get the air/cool back to the engine. I installed an O.S. FS70II with a rear down-facing carb. Poor man's turbo booster.

Oh, and I would have painted the inside of the canopy or just left it clear. I tried dying mine and it came out dark orange/brown instead of the dark gray I was trying for (first attempt was purple and I bought a second canopy). I even tried dying the scraps first and they came out OK. Grrrrrrr.