ram3500-RCU -Points very well taken, and likewise very well stated. In fact I agree with your comments about poor installation many times being the culprit. I had a student pilot show up with a new trainer that required installing the CA hinges in the assembly process. He applied CA to the hinges and then inserted them into the slots. I had to laugh picturing how he kept his fingers from sticking together. [8D] Nearly all of the hinges came loose when I checked the movable surfaces during the preflight. Good thing we didn't take to the air, or this could have resulted in one of those "bad wraps" you mentioned about a products.

There are many reasons for good and bad product failures. Nothing is fool proof. By the way, sorry to hear about your PW. I always hate it when one goes in. On my first Pitts and first gas project I too used CA hinges as I had done on all of my airplanes before. I had a very bad crash and lost the plane and the engine. However, the CA hinges all remained intact just as yours did. Heck, my firewall didn't budge though I experienced a bent shaft in the engine, among other things. Maybe I would have been better off not securing the mounting box so securely. []

On my next Pitts project I installed CA hinges the same way I have always done and these failed on the rudder without any damage to the airplane after four flights. It was still cold so I think the temperature made them brittle and vibration got to them. Nearly all of them tore free very easily. Thats when I decided to make the switch. Now that I have installed the Robart hinge points we will have to see how this works.

Anyway, thanks for the response and the feedback. Good luck on your next plane. Have you picked one out yet?