Just wanted to share a couple creds and other things here:
1. @currenthill, @Spino and @Hawkeye60 - your mods are awesome! I use them on a regular basis and in many, many missions. @BIGNEWY and @Rudel_chw, you guys offer a great amount of support and advice - Much appreciated - keep it up!
2. I agree with @currenthill's reply "I guess one solution would be to share upcoming structural changes in DCS core with mod makers beforehand, ..." 100%. This info does not need to be shared to the entire community, just a few specific modders that create quality mods and request it outside of being in the "3rd-Party club" - you know, make them sign an NDA or something.
For me, I use a lot of the VSN and currenthill mods. They are free, for Pete's sake and just plain functional and fun to fly/use as well as being very reliable. This (along with a boatload of other reasons) is why I spend so much time flying around in DCS. But, better communications with the devs would be key.