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Old 01-19-2015 | 08:11 AM
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radfordc
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Originally Posted by JohnBuckner
Its very easy to ascertain which surfaces are experiencing flutter. All it takes is one small hole. As I have noted repeatedly 'After all else fails' AJ try the simple mass balance.
Almost all full size planes use mass balances on control surfaces. A properly balanced surface CAN NOT flutter. Without a balanced surface there are other things that help prevent flutter...stiff linkages, light surfaces, the shape of the surface, etc.

It is certainly possible to prevent flutter using all these methods.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron...alance_weights
To prevent control surface flutter (aeroelastic flutter), the center of lift of the control surface should be behind the center of gravity of that surface. To achieve this, lead weights may be added to the front of the aileron. In some aircraft the aileron construction may be too heavy to allow this system to work without huge weight increases. In this case, the weight may be added to a lever arm to move the weight well out in front to the aileron body. These balance weights are tear drop shaped (to reduce drag), which make them appear quite different from spades, although both project forward and below the aileron. In addition to reducing flutter, mass balances also reduce the stick forces required to move the control surface in flight.