I'm building your Chrisalis 2M and was wondering how much the lightening holes in the tail affect strength.(V-tail)

Also, I did not see anything about tapering the thickness of the surfaces at the T.E., how will that affect the strength? Just don't want anything fluttering off!

Look again at step 9 in the fuselage instructions for the V-tail, or step 10 for the conventional tail. The little cross-section shows how the control surfaces should be bevelled and tapered. Removing the mass from the trailing edge of the control surface will help the flutter resistance. We have had a few reports of tail flutter on heavy launches in the wind on Chrysalis 2-meters, but this has almost always been traced to flexibility in the control linkages. We recommend tinning the pushrods at both ends far enough that the tinned area extends into the pushrod guide tube. Make sure that your pushrods are as straight as possible, with good, tight, slop-free connections connections at both ends. Don't forget, it's an all-wooden airplane, and if you try to treat it with a heavy foot like an F3B model, the tail might start waving at you to get your attention!

From : Don Stackhouse

Not a great deal, what they remove is largely replaced by the film covering. Still, if you expect it to see a lot of heavy usage (inch launces, contest landings, etc.), I'd build it without the lightening holes AND cover the fuselage and tail with regular weight film such as Monokote or Ultracoat. The model is already very light, and you will gain more in durability than it costs in weight.

Don Stackhouse
DJ Aerotech