Cyclic, you should really stop beating yourself up with the stock battery and get a LiPo. It made all the difference with everyone that has them, myself included. I'm a total newbie at this, but I can tell you I have seen a major difference since I got a LiPo. Now I just need to get a few more. Longer flight times mean more time to get it stable. You can't get much done with <5 min. flight times.