Thanks for the tip Andy, its too late for me to move the surfaces a couple of flutes without cutting new surfaces, but I was able to easily add counterweights by inserting heavy nails in the leading edges facing forwards. I did'nt put them out on the edges but closer to the root to hopefully not snag objects as easily.

I needed to add tail weight anyways, so hopefully this extra mass will raise the speed the surfaces will flutter to reasonably high speed.

Looks like good weather tommorrow morning, should be able to get a couple of flights in before work. Maybe I'll have both a good running motor and a flutter free tail.


BTW, I had mostly solved the elevator flutter problem by the simple expedient of CA'ing the elevator 1/2s to the carbon shaft forcing them to stay locked in perfect alignment with each other. This means that for any elevator flutter to occur, both elevator surfaces must flutter together, and, both elevator linkages must flex together as well, effectively doubling the force it requires to deflect each elevator surface individually.

If you do this, the only trick is to put grease inside the brass tube so that the CA won't wick inside locking the whole assembly solid. Don't ask me how I found out that one.


Dean in Milwaukee