LEXL Tail. Why ribs instead of tubing?

[clmartin0721]

Hello all,

Starting my LEXL build after sitting on the fence for a while. As a first step I am putting everything in CAD, as this is quick for me and it forces me to review the complete build process before I start. The fuselage was straightforward, but when I got to the tail, I see multiple sizes of aluminum tubing, and bent up ribs. Why not use all tubing of the same size? The weight difference would be VERY minimal, and it would be much quicker and easier from a materials sourcing standpoint. I know this is the approach taken Robert in the Airdrome aircraft, of which are 103 builds. It seems a apples to apples comparison to me.

But, I want to check in with the experienced builders here, as I want to be sure that I am not overlooking something. I am not going to be modifying the plans in any major way, but will take advantage of the experience and innovations of this group when possible.

Thanks for your assistance, and Merry Christmas to all!

Craig

[Kamcoman77]

Only reason I can think of, other than lightness, is the fact that ribs are tapered, tubing not. With different size tubing for leading & trailing edges using tubing would create some mismatch at either the front or rear joint. The ribs are easy to bend and work quite well. I did use tubing for the bottom rib of the vertical stabilizer because bent ribs are bad about bowing when fabric is shrunk. If you want to use tubing all the same size, that will work, but it's no longer a Legal Eagle; it's a hybrid.