Yep, different brands have different connection sequences and since you did not tell us your brand we would be guessing so check your manual. If necessary, many are available online. Let us know if you need help finding it.

We can't tell without at least some pictures how bad your covering problem MAY be. YES, it can effect flight characteristics depending on its condition and where the condition is on the plane.

Basically you have the starting figured out but there are MANY safety issues and tuning issues also.

PLEASE get with a club or at least an experienced pilot for some training otherwise you can expect injuries and/or a short life for your plane.

Here are some clubs you should find within a reasonable distance of you:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/ClubZip...x?z=49453&d=25