Tail

The tail consists of two parts, the boom and the vane. It's a simple, fixed, passive tail. The total area of the tail surface is about 5 square feet. It can be any shape, as long as the shape does not compromise strength. The tail is fixed to the boom using three U bolts that fit around the boom, pass through the vane surface and are then fixed using oversize washers and lockwashers.

The boom is a galvanized steel tube 2" in diameter and about 9' long. I made it that long because I was not sure how far back the tail should be, and like this I could shift it forward or backward as desired. Probably the boom can be made a lot shorter.

The vane is made of 4 ply of quarter inch 'mahogany' plywood, glued together and cut to shape, covered with a layer of 'west system' epoxy to make it more weather resistant.