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Ed:<br>
Very clear, coherent article. Thanks. Bill Glaze<br>
<br>
Ed Alt wrote:<br>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2">OK, here's the link to a thread I
just started on RCU re. the little tube socket box I mentioned
earlier. Use it if you like the idea, I find that it helps.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><a
href="http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m.asp?m=2514871&mpage=1&key">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m.asp?m=2514871&mpage=1&key</a>=</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Regards</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Ed</font></div>
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<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">-----
Original Message ----- </div>
<div
style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>From:</b>
<a title="pattern4u@comcast.net" href="mailto:pattern4u@comcast.net">Grow
Pattern</a> </div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>To:</b>
<a title="discussion@nsrca.org" href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</a>
</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Sent:</b>
Friday, January 07, 2005 7:40 PM</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Subject:</b>
2005 Masters maneuver #4 - Warning</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><em>This is a sort of public
service announcement, or at least please regard it as a "Heads-up".</em></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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. <em>"You need to slow the
plane down at the bottom of the loop",</em> I said. I must add that
what I said did not impress an FAI and pilot and District masters
champion very much. :-(</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">So strapping on my asbestos
underwear I decided to do some testing of my own. </font><font
face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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).</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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. </font><font
face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><strong><u>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.</u></strong></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Regards,</font></div>
<font face="Arial" size="2"> </font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><br>
Eric Henderson.</font></div>
<font face="Arial" size="2"> </font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"> </font></div>
<font face="Arial" size="2"> </font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">P.S. The only time I remember
seeing a reverse avalanche before is in the hardly flown?
current FAI Finals schedule.</font></div>
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