Tail Construction

The stabilizer attachment is relatively straightforward. It is possible for the 2 top longerons to not be exactly level however, so care must be taken when fabricating the two legs on the rear support to ensure that the stabilizer comes out level. The forward attach point sets the angle of incidence, and is ground adjustable by adding or subtracting washes. In the plans, the support is bolted to two 3/8 bushings welded to the intercostal between the top longerons. While there has been no reported problems with this arrangement, the "Skybolt News" printed a modification to this area that I liked the looks of, and added to mine. It is visible in the top photo, and consists of two piees of rectangular tubing cut into triangles, and then welded to the longerons and intercostal, thereby surounding the bushing, and giving much more area to weld. That sort of thing goes against my core tenents of building: keep it light, add nothing unnecessary, and keep it light. Did I mention keep it light? I will try to resist such additions in the future.