Jamie
Well Known Member
I know that the reasons behind control surface flutter are akin to voodoo, but I have a few questions. Obviously on our RVs we are strongly cautioned about getting the elevators properly balanced, etc to reduce the possibility of flutter.
I share a hangar with an Extra 300 and guess what? The elevators have no counter balances on them. Next to me there is a homebuilder who builds his own designs (yes, they're very cool -- fully aerobatic, 12+ g's, etc). None of his designs have counterbalanced elevators. Obviously these aircraft are different beasts, but I would think the same principles still apply.
So what's the story? Why are some elevators counterbalanced and others aren't?
I share a hangar with an Extra 300 and guess what? The elevators have no counter balances on them. Next to me there is a homebuilder who builds his own designs (yes, they're very cool -- fully aerobatic, 12+ g's, etc). None of his designs have counterbalanced elevators. Obviously these aircraft are different beasts, but I would think the same principles still apply.
So what's the story? Why are some elevators counterbalanced and others aren't?