Okay, the good news is that I took my Aerobird up for its first three flights today, and the first two went marvelously. The sim training helped, I think, although FMS doesn't really indicate the speed these things move at. Hardest part of the first couple of flights was getting the thing down for a landing.

Then came flight 3. I figured I'd swap in my 7-cell battery as I was concerned the standard battery would be running low on charge.

Alas, I think a combination of a CG shift and a not-quite-100% closed canopy screwed things up, and a few seconds after the launch I augered in.

The good news is that I did so without a bit of visible physical damage to the Aerobird.

The bad news is that, after the crash, the left elevon cable was pulled very tight, and the elvon is cocked up tightly at a 30-degree angle. Trying to pull the cable a bit didn't loosen it. Playing with the controls, the right elevon seems find, but the left doesn't appear to be moving.

Anyone ever had this problem before? Hoping to hear the voice of experience before I risk screwing this thing up. Is there a new fuselage in my future?

Check out this link and it may help out.

http://rclibrary.com/viewtopic.php?p=34#34

It sounds like you did some internal damage. What that damage is, is hard to tell.

If you look in through the canopy, you might be able to see a couple of servos. I'm betting the one connected to the left elevon is either out of place, stripped, or jammed.

Unfortunately, that leaves you with few options. Horizon doesn't sell individual parts, only complete fuselages. The fuselage is solid, so there's no easy access to the guts. If there were, you could extract the faulty servo and repair or replace it.

Matt,

Well, I can reach the left servo with a pen, etc. Question: There's a white "arm" that it appears that the elevon cable is connected to. Currently, this is pointed almost directly upwards. Is that normal?

I've already ordered a second fuselage, but it looks like everyone's out of stock. The place I ordered from says 4-7 days on shipping, which is a bummer as I was hoping to show the plane off to my nephew late this week.

What direction is the right servo arm pointing? That will tell you if up is normal or not.

The same thing happened to mine!
After I crashed the elevon was vertical!
I loosend the string but now it wont move properly. I'm really not keen on the expensive fueselage so i'm looking for other options. This is basicall my first plane I've barely flown it yet

If not, one of them has slipped off the motor and must be adjusted. Do a search, there are threads and photos.

I was just lookng into my aerobird (litteraly) and i saw that the line was hooked behind the servo arm! I unhooked it and adjusted the line at the tail accordingly but it still doesn't seem to move properly. Now instead of not moving much in either direction it only moves up. Even when I pull the line it won't give. I'm baffled
Alex

I just addressed this question in another thread. Here is the link.

Fixing the servos/line problem on Aerobird

Oh, and just for technical correctness, the control surfaces on a v-tail plane such as the Aerobird are called rudervators (rudder/elevator)

Elevons are elevator/ailerons - like a flying wing uses.

Its just a nit, but what the heck. Might as well have the right terms..