Oops, the third issue was just an error in my code to automatically extract the Flight symbols. The PAK files contain a PropDefs folder where the symbols actually reside, and I didn't realize that when extracting the PAK.
Since it's to be used on end user's computers, I don't think it's a good idea to require modification, in which case, I'd go with the workarounds.
Since it's to be used on end user's computers, I don't think it's a good idea to require modification, in which case, I'd go with the workarounds.