[SPAM] Re: [SPAM] Re: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

[Gene Maurice]

Nutty? Whacky? Respectfully, you can always go play somewhere else.

 

Gene Maurice

gene.maurice at comcast.net

Plano, TX

NSRCA 877

AMA 3408

 

  _____  

From: discussion-request at nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request at nsrca.org] On
Behalf Of Ed Alt
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 10:39 PM
To: discussion at nsrca.org
Subject: [SPAM] Re: [SPAM] Re: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

 

Eric:

I just thought the recent board decisions were whacky.  The email list is
always fun!  I'm trying very hard to behave myself though.

 

Ed

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Grow Pattern <mailto:pattern4u at comcast.net>  

To: discussion at nsrca.org 

Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 11:35 PM

Subject: Re: [SPAM] Re: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

 

Thanks Ed.

 

BTW - you thought that IMAC was nutty, how's this bunch....?

 

Eric.

 

P.S. Went to George Asteris's yesterday. He absolutely loves the way his
second ICEPOINT flies. (With extra FG cloth on the center of course.

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Ed Alt <mailto:Ed_Alt at hotmail.com>  

To: discussion at nsrca.org 

Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 11:12 PM

Subject: [SPAM] Re: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

 

Eric:
Later on tonight I'm going to post some pics to RC Universe of how I do the
socket supports.  They will be pictures of the Temptation wing.  This is
something I learned from the big gas stuff and it really works well.
Essentially, I make a light box out of two pieces of plywood, separated with
balsa.  The box fits snugly on both sides of the cutout in the wing, greatly
increasing the gluing surface area.  The tube socket goes through both
plywood sides of the box.  It weighs about 1/4 ounce and probably soaks up
an extra .1 oz of glue during the sheeting process.  It has the added
benefit that it totally cloese the opening, so there is now no real
possibility of the sheeting in compresion ever collapsing into the opening.
Basically, it takes the weakest part of the wing and puts it back together
structurally.

 

Ed

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Grow Pattern <mailto:pattern4u at comcast.net>  

To: discussion at nsrca.org 

Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 7:40 PM

Subject: 2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning

 

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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