The Crafting Table III probably caused performance issues, like Balkon's Weapon mod. It might get re-added tough, like Balkon's Weapon mod. Until then you could set up a station of automatic crafting tables with some basic recipes for your daughter. I know it's not the fastest solution, but it's quite elegant. About Swiftwolf's Rending Gale, I believe the change concerning fuel consumption took place in 3.0.3... I'm not so sure. One charged Klein Star Ein (50 000EMC) will suit you for 3-4 hours of flight (Again, not sure).
Oh and don't worry about posting a wall of text. It's nice to read well written post once in a while. (Only a cup of tea will work better than bear for me )