Ha all/read through previous posts.. glad you guys are having good results during violent maneuvers. unfortunately i had an inflight failure about 2 minutes or so into my 1st flight today. its ironic that i had noticed some potential week spots and also suggested some quick fix's for them.. i should have taken my own advice. being the skeptical natured person i am and also the fact that i like testing things etc i decided to push the extra 300 a little harder today/theres several things that could have contributed to this failure. i in no way consider it the manufacturers design or qaulity.. both are high in my opinion.

Factor 1: i was flying on higher than suggested rates.

Factor 2: i was flying a down line at a fairly high rate of speed

Factor 3: i opted for dubro micro hinges and my ca might not have bonded properly.

Factor 4: i was flying into considerable wind on the down line

Factor 5: near the bottom of this down line i pulled up a little more abruptly because i was around 10 or 15 feet and wanted to level at about 5 to 10 feet for pass.

i discussed this with my local shop owner and he inspected the plane.. he suggested asking seagull for warranty on a new stab and elevator/im considering this but i dont believe the planes design is at fault.. whats at fault is my flying style and surface throws.. and posibally my ca joint and ca. i'll have a follow up part two on this. right now im thinking about the repair and what will keep this from happening to pilots that are more expierenced than myself who may be pushing there extra 300s harder than i have.. ive been fairly vigilant to look over the airframe after my flights on this plane because of my initial concerns and until today flying fairly conservative in my opinion. i picked up some materials for the repair and reinforcment of mine. i may just order another stab and elevator and reinforce it rather than fix this one.. the repairs will not be that extensive. for others heres some suggestions.

1: carbon fiber strips across top and bottom of elevator to make both sides more rigid.

2: carbon fiber rods attached from below stab.. possably on the top to

3: this one is optional.. fly the plane as intended and marketed.. aerobatic plane with low throws(i know its hard with this one not to wanna 3D it)

hopefully this helps and no one else has a tail failure.. maybe i just had some bad luck. i'll have mine in the air again soon i hope. it would have been nice to have got this on video.. even with a brisk crosswind and half an elevator i managed to get it down in one piece with a fairly decent landing all things considered (i must be getting better at flying these things)

Video i shot with digital camera after i landed: http://media.putfile.com/Seagull-Extra-Elevator-Failure