I am in the process of designing a airfoil shaped horizontal stabilizer to replace the slab design on an Sig Somethin Extra I am building. Here is the questions I have:
From an aerodynamic standpoint is it ok to go from say 3/8 thick at the root (thickest part of the airfoil) and taper that to 1/8 or so at the tip, to reduce drag. The theory I am working with here is the sheathing at an angle to the tip and root should add a bit of stiffness to the stabilizer and the reduced frontal area should reduce the drag.
The second part of my question is, will this reduce the effectiveness of the elevator where it is essentially a high aspect ratio wing given the overall deign of the stabilizer/elevator combo?
I am also considering treating the vertical stabilizer and rudder in the same manner, am I going to cause myself any problems by doing this?