CompGeek,
Mine was one of the two lost in Austin. The answers to your questions in my case are:

1.I had the recommended 1 3/4 travel. I set it using a surface deflections indicator

2. I though it seemed like a lot of throw to me, I even called BVM while setting it up, But it was fine when using 30% expo.

3. I had my linkage set up like the picture in the instruction book. The clevis was in the last hole in the servo arm as pictured in the book. (After talking to some of the other pilots there, I think this is where part of my problem was). The control horn angle in the elevator is set with a gauge supplied with the kit.

4. The first time I experienced mushiness coming out of a loop. The second time it was during a high speed pass, I pulled up and it was slow to respond.

While building my Bobcat I had concerns about using the 3301's in the elevator 1. because of the nylon gears(all the other servos were metal geared) and 2. because of the torque (56oz).

Before my crash, I called and emailed a few other Bobcat owners to see what their experiences were and they too had mushiness at one time or another and or had lost an aircraft.

I should have replaced the servos when I experienced this problem but I wanted to fly it at the Austin fly-in and it cost me a nice jet and a lot of money. I was going to replace them when I returned home the following week.

My crash happened when I did a high speed pass, I throttled back to half throttle at the end of the runway and pulled up and climbed out, I then rolled it upside down and pulled back on the stick to come back across the runway but it did not respond, I then throttled all the way back and pulled the stick all the way back ( both people standing with me saw the stick positions) but it did not respond and it went straight in.

I don't know why some Bobcats experience mushiness and some do not.

I have another one on the table to build and I will be using 2 8411's in the elevators this time.

David