Flutter!!!
 

Well I was flying the Alpha yesterday and all she sudden I went into a hard turn and the sound changed. It sounded almost like a jet or full scale plane flying by. I had never experienced this nor seen it happen to anyone else at the field. One of the guys in the pits said FLUTTER!!! Land that plane! So I came in for an uneventful landing and I let him feel the control surfaces and one of my ailerons was completely free moving, so I took it to the pits and took off the wing. The problem was that one of the little rubber keepers for the plastic clevis had dissappeared and the clevis came unsnapped. I cut a new keeper out of Fuel tubing and went out for another flight. It was fine. I got in 4 more flights doin knife edge, part of a blender, and combat. The purpose of this is to warn other people of flutter and how to Identify it.
-Trent

RE: Flutter!!!
 

interesting....


so if those little elastic band things on the clevis things... I thought they were like a secondary percausion.

Anyway i've been getting pretty wild with my alpha (or more expeirenced guys at my club say so). One thing that wories me is when i make a sharp turn or bank and the wings folding in two. I'm always checking my wings after each flight i'm getting so paranoid about it!!!!

I just started to try to do knife edges yesterday (scared my self a couple of times). Could you give me some tips on how to do a proper one with the alpha.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

they are secondary precautions. they just dont stay in place long enough to be of any help.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

Ok about knife edge, I always go from left to right.(thats just the way i started) I have dual rates set at 100% on aileron and elevator so turn on base like you are fling a pattern then hit final and do a fly-by. I usually start knife edge when I pass the pilot box but its your preference. roll right where the top is facing you then give it full rudder. You will have to hold some right aileron to keep it in knife edge. Also, dont roll all the way vertical or the plane will fall during the manuver. I keep mine at a slight angle from vertical and it will actually climb slightly while flying knife edge.
hope this helps,
Trent

RE: Flutter!!!
 

mine stay in place every time. I've never had one come off from flying. They get old and need replacing from time to time, but they always stay in place.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

Don't set your dual rates at 100%. Set them where they belong and switch them off in flight when you want.

(if your transmitter has this capability, of course)
Not only is it safer, but it gets you in the habbit of using switches.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

what's scary is when you are used to low rates and havent really flown much on high rates and then you take off in high rates, forgetting to flip the switch. that just happened to me recently. i was taking off and it did a nice wall, right off. if gave it a little down not knowing what was wrong with it, and it took a nice dive and i recovered pretty quickly, (about 2-3 feet from the ground, right in front of me) got control, and fliped the switch. that was wierd.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

:)

RE: Flutter!!!
 

i have taken off and landed with DR without any trouble. I fly around at LR and then switch to DR when i go into a manuver. My LR are at 60%. I never really measured the throws when I built the plane and started flying but it must be close, so I just put the high rates on 100%=max throw.

RE: Flutter!!!
 

im guessing your not using the quattro that came with the alpha?

RE: Flutter!!!
 

No Im using a Futaba 6EXA. I bought the plane from a friend who built it and never flew it.