Bgorham, I mounted my ST .61 sideways to avoid the problems you're encountering. I have a small hinged door on the side to access the battery switch, charge outlet and fuel line. Fueling and defueling are a bit of a issue, so I'm still looking for a cool solution to use as a standard on my planes. I have a fueling valve on my Skybolt, but after only two flights, the jury is still out on them. an you use a fuel tank that exits straight out the front of the tank? This all makes the little grey cells very happy