Larry, a lot of people forget that I started out with a stock RAF. I was seriously considering selling it after about 8 months of getting the crap scared out of me everytime I hit a little updraft and the thing would almost come to a stop while the nose shot skyward, sometimes causing me to believe I was going over on my back.
I also was experiencing at various times a failed alternator, cracking muffler X2, cracking rod-end bearings, a failed ignition (that scared the crap out of me that was left after the ballooning frights), quick-wearing tires, developing cracks in my blades, a sheared Jason belt on take-off, a failed Bendix in the prerotator, a cracked lower prerotator housing, a cracked upper prerotator housing, a cracked drive-plate, a worn out water pump, leaking timing-belt bearings, a timing pulley with a bent-over flange, a completely dry timing-belt tensioner, numerous lies by Peter, Linda and Don.......crap! I have to stop. My fingers are getting sore. I'm sure I left more things out.
Luckily, Rob Sanders of NZ came out with a basic stab design and got pissed at RAF after he spent a small fortune to send them one and it just sat in the corner. I asked him for drawings which he promptly sent and I had one made. I loved it. I spoke with Rob and he said he had no intentions of marketing them and to feel free to do so. So I did, after having it refined some by Hammerhead Aviation.
I then decided that I had a small fortune tied up in this thing, it flew 1,000% better and to just go ahead and replace all the faulty components that came to light....which I did. If the Sparrowhawk conversion hadn't come out, I'm sure I'd still be happily flying around in my stab-equipped RAF with upgraded components. The stability seemed O.K. to me at the time, and I would still feel O.K. flying one with a stab except in some wild weather. However, when the SH conversion came out, I realized from the info garnered here, that the conversion made it somewhat better, so I went ahead and did it. I'm actually still constantly trying to improve it as with my latest additions..the IVO cockpit-adjustable prop and the hydraulic prerotator activation.
I don't think I've ever knocked an RAF that had a decent HS and the owner took the pains to replace some of the above crap that was sold to us to make it safer.