Wow, much has been discussed since I last chimed in, and I am definitely out-classed with the likes of Dean Pappas and Mike Hester in here. Having not done much design myself, most of my opinions are based on theory, some mine, some borrowed, and some learned just by observation. I just felt like chiming in on a couple of things that were mentioned, but not expanded on much. First is the thought that some have that the horizontal stabilizer needs to be out of line with the "dirty" air coming off the back of the wing. Now from what I've seen of airfoils in wind tunnels, there isn't much turbulence on the back side of the wing as long as the ailerons are not deflected, especially symmetrical airfoils. If the air becomes turbulent while travelling across the wing, it kills lift. On most modern pattern designs the ailerons begin so far out on the wings that only the last inch or two of the stab would be affected by the turbulent air coming off the wings. Therefore, my feeling is that having the horizontal stab in line with the wing is not necessarily a bad thing, but whether or not it is needed there is another question, and has a lot more to do with the vertical placement of the wing on the fuselage. The next thought I wanted to throw out there is in regards to Mike's comment regarding vertical stabilizer thickness. My feelings on the vertical stab were seeded by Bryan Hebert and a conversation we were having as I compared my Genesis to his Shinden, and he got me thinking on the subject of the vertical stab's airfoil. He feels, and I agree after much pondering, that many designers overlook the importance of the fact that the vertical stab is a flying surface, which means that at certain attitudes of flight it will act just like a wing, generating lift (knife-edge flight, snaps, spins, or lateral lift anytime rudder is applied). He pointed out that one of the flaws of the Genesis was the extremely thick leading edge on the stab that then has a constant taper back to the trailing edge. If you were to turn this stab on it's side and imagine it as a wing, well, let's just say that dog won't hunt. Now, if viewed as just part of the fuselage, it looks just like it is part of the airfoil created by the fuse, but unfortunately the stab sticks out into the air all by itself, and will not be very effective under certain conditions. Now, that being said, in my opinion the thickness of the vertical stab is not that big of an issue, as long as it has an effective airfoil, and affects asthetics more than flight. As Mike correctly pointed out earlier a thick leading edge on a wing will decrease the angle of attack needed for the stall as you enter a snap. This principle can be applied to any airfoil. In other words, the vertical stabilizer with a very thick leading edge will stall easier, especially when you don't want it to (slow roll, snap roll). When an airplane is performing a snap roll, or a spin, only the wing is stalled, and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are flying the airplane. If you lose control (stall) on either one of these surfaces during the maneuver you either end up with an ugly (sometimes zeroed) maneuver, or even worse a very expensive pile of splinters (or glass/composite materials). OK, my wine is starting to kick in and I can't keep a decent train of thought anymore, so I'll stop here, and leave these opinions to be eaten alive by Dean and Mike. Have at it, guys!