Feel bad for posting this and then finding the answer on the same day… but after weeks of trying, I thought I’d ask…
I started lookin around in .thn files, li_01_equipment_ambi_s005_ship_01.thn references an rtc ship. After finding the match in rtc_shiparch.ini, I found the reference to cv_starflier under “rtcprop_civ_fighter”… changed that to point to the clone and walla!! Figured I’d post the findings rather than delete the post in case someone else ever has this complication.