2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

[Grow Pattern]

Matt,
        The primary suggestion is for pilots to check their equipment on a regular basis because repeated flying could be causing accumulated stress. 

Sure it does not matter if you have a plane that never has the problem.

BUT, it does matter if you have a plane that shows the symptoms that were reported and what I also experienced.

Of course if you bust a wing it's too late to do the above.

Not everyone has the maneuver nailed nor do they have planes that slow down on the way to the snap. 

I can't take the position that "they" are not flying it correctly, nor can I assume that all the planes are as good as yours.

Better checked than sorry.

Regards,

Eric.

P.S.

Q. Maybe I am thick and don't get it. WHAT IS IT with this maneuver??
A. The plane is already pulling some positive G's at the bottom of the loop and then you add more G's by putting in a lot of elevator to get a good break for the snap. (ref. all of the previous debate about showing a good break)
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rcmaster199 at aol.com 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 8:05 PM
  Subject: Re: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning


  Maybe I am thick and don't get it. WHAT IS IT with this maneuver??

  This is about as easy as the top snapping one to do right. My Temptress tube is aluminum and Im not bending tubes. What gives?? I did 15 or 16 of these back to back to back to see what the hubbub's about and didn't see an issue. 

  Are you talking 100's here or what?

  MattK

  In a message dated 1/7/2005 7:41:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, pattern4u at comcast.net writes:
    This is a sort of public service announcement, or at least please regard it as a "Heads-up".

    For all of you who are flying or will be flying the Reverse Avalanche you might want to check your wing tubes and phenolic tube wing supports.

    It seems that if you go into the snap a bit hard you can bend your wing tube or, in the worst case scenario break, your wing. The plane is pulling some G's at the bottom of the loop and then you add more by putting in a lot of elevator to get a good break for the snap.

    Last year I had several incidents reported to me and my initial reaction was to say that they were probably not flying the maneuver correctly. "You need to slow the plane down at the bottom of the loop", I said. I must add that what I said did not impress an FAI and pilot and District masters champion very much. :-(

    So strapping on my asbestos underwear I decided to do some testing of my own. At the end of November 2004 it was nice here in NJ. I took the Focus-2 and the Temptation out for a day of Masters 2005. Both planes were inspected for tube tightness and the wing covering touched up with the glove-iron.

    Twelve flights later and an average of 10 reverse avalanches in each flight I went home thinking all was well. (It got cold and a bit dark too).

    Back in the shop the first thing that I noticed was new wrinkles in the covering on the Temptation wings. Nothing was loose. To test this I put the wing-tube in the wing and leaned on it a little. All was well but I was beginning to think that the wing must have flexed to cause the covering to loosen up. A bit like what the covering sometimes does around the aileron horns. It this case it was at the roots above the tubes - both sides.

    Then I turned to the Focus-2 wings. Not good! The wing-tube could now be moved up and down and I could hear foamy crunches in both of the wings. Both wings have Carbon tube wing tubes and it dawned on me that they could not bend (much) or stay bent. That is why I had not seen this before. The forces were applying themselves to the ends of the wing tubes. I opened up both panels and added epoxy and micro balloons to stabilize the sub ribs. It was an easy repair but could have been a lot worse if I was not looking for it.

    I am advised that stress damage is cumulative and that it does not show up initially. It certainly had not revealed itself while I had been demonstrating the 2005 schedule over the late summer of 2004. So where does this leave me?  I think we have a potential problem that requires frequent preventative equipment inspection depending upon the planes that you fly. If you can slow down your plane and it is at around 10 lb you may never see this happening.

    I would strongly advise checking your wing with the wing tube in place to look for tube movement. Also look for straightness if you have an ali-wing-tube.

    This situation is a bit unique for me. It is the first time I have been involved with a maneuver that you don't know you are doing it wrong unless you fly it that way too many times. And then only if the wing shows damage or even worse it breaks in the air.

    Regards,

    Eric Henderson.

    P.S. The only time I remember seeing a reverse avalanche before is in the hardly flown? current FAI Finals schedule.
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