RE: what type of ball and socket to use on my thunderbolt
CG,
I hate to contridict, but those ball joints are very VERY secure in flight. Once they snap in place they won't come out in flight. In fact, many of the "pros" use the very same ball joints in their planes that they compete with. You won't have any problems using this for any control surface that you wish to use them on.
Hope this helps
Ken