I have a model that suffered flutter, the Dynaflite Fun Scale P51D 40 size in my avitar beside this post. It was on an early flight in its life, maybe it's 6th or so. The airframe was built by a friend many moons ago, never flown, and given to me.

That friend flies with us now, so I offered him a chance at the stix on his old airframe. He was used to lightweight parkfliers, and found the power of this plane intoxicating (AX46, 105mph s&l, unlimited vert). He roared about at full throttle at least 4 mistakes up, grinning from ear to ear. He dove full throttle, and abruptly pulled out.

It sounded like the engine had lost a muffler and was running roughly (it wasn't). Didn't take us long to spot the right side hori stab doing a good impression of a flag in a huricane. The plane handled normally. It did sorta sound like automatic weapons fire.

We got her back, and post mortem revealed a failed glue joint on the elevator joiner. With the non-driven elevator half free, it fluttered and tore the stab half-off.

Ran outa elevator on approach, and had to land hot, but landed anyway. Rebuilt the stab (harder balsa, thicker, carefully airfoiled), and now she happily stands hard pull-outs from terminal power dives.

J