I would highly recommend building it as per the instructions. Remember, this is Great Planes' MK-II kit. They have drastically improved it over the originalk PT series. My first airplane was the Trainer 40, although I wish I had originally purchased one from the PT series. I bought this one recently because I like lazy high-wing acft. What a "Great Plane." No pun, of course.

With regard to the instructions: when you position the horizontal stab on the fuse, use a yard stick across the wing saddle in order to parallel the stab. This works great, as per instructions. Then, just plumb the vert stab with the horizontal. You will have a true airplane after that which will respond accordingly. Even more important than wing-to-empennage relationship is that of the engine mounting. The horizontal propeller plane of rotation should be exactly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. This model has a downward thrust angle because its wing design is such that the ground naturally repels it. The fuse is built in this kit first for good reason. Get the tail on right, with the use of the yard stick in the wing saddle, and ensure the engine is mounted properly. If you adhere to this construction technique, you can be guaranteed of minimizing the effects of P-factor. But, we can talk about that all day long.