In article ,
Dallas wrote:

Speaking of below 250 knot aircraft, does it really matter much what shape
they make the vertical stabilizer?

They seem to come in all kinds of shapes... de Havilland favored
elliptical, Cessna favors a swept back trapezoid, Mooney swept forward...
etc.

Aerodynamically speaking, what difference does it's shape make? I guess
sweeping back creates a bit less drag than straight vertical. But other
than that, we're not generating induced drag because it's not generating
lift. It seems like area should be the only consideration.

Speaking as an aeronautical engineer: The answer is: No difference.

Selection of tail shape is mostly a matter of aesthetics and
salesmanship, as long as the proper amount of area is available.

I remember when Cessna changed from unswept to swept vertical fins and
remarked that they were seeking to increase its critical Mach number,
even though they were operating at only Mach 0.2-0.3, when sweep doesn't
apply until about Mach 0.6 and above.

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