Personally I think people take wingloading too far sometimes on a big plane 35% or 40%, however on a small plane like this 3oz is a big difference, especially after you break 30 on a plane this size.

I had one of these with a converted skil 45 (maybe it was a 42 or 43 but somewhere in there) and it hauled butt but it was definately on the heavy side. I remember my first inverted flat spin scared me to death because I almost couldnt get out of it Outside of that I had a lot of fun with the plane, I just had to learn to land a bit quicker than I liked. Of course mine had been repaired so it was even heavier.

I would consider post 2.. or get your 45 lightened? I certainly would not go spend $600.